What is CVE-2014-0156?

CVE-2014-0156 is a critical-severity OS command injection vulnerability in awesome_spawn (rubygems), affecting versions < 1.2.0. It is fixed in 1.2.0. Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host.

How severe is CVE-2014-0156?

CVE-2014-0156 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Which versions of awesome_spawn are affected by CVE-2014-0156?

awesome_spawn (rubygems) versions < 1.2.0 is affected.

Is there a fix for CVE-2014-0156?

Yes. CVE-2014-0156 is fixed in 1.2.0. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2014-0156 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2014-0156 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk.

What actually determines whether CVE-2014-0156 is exploitable, and how bad it is?

Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.

CVE-2014-0156 in awesome_spawn

Q: How severe is CVE-2014-0156?

CVE-2014-0156 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Q: Which versions of awesome_spawn are affected by CVE-2014-0156?

awesome_spawn (rubygems) versions < 1.2.0 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2014-0156?

Yes. CVE-2014-0156 is fixed in 1.2.0. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2014-0156 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2014-0156 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk.

Q: What actually determines whether CVE-2014-0156 is exploitable, and how bad it is?

Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2014-0156?

Upgrade awesome_spawn to 1.2.0 or later.

Summary

OS Command Injection in awesome spawn

Awesome spawn prior to version 1.2.0 contains OS command injection vulnerability, which allows execution of additional commands passed to Awesome spawn as arguments. If untrusted input was included in command arguments, attacker could use this flaw to execute arbitrary command.

Impact

Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host. Typical impact: code execution in the application's environment.

CVE-2014-0156 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (1.2.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

awesome_spawn (< 1.2.0)

Security releases

awesome_spawn → 1.2.0 (rubygems)

Kodem intelligence

Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.

Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.

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Remediation advice

Upgrade awesome_spawn to 1.2.0 or later to resolve this vulnerability.

Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2014-0156? CVE-2014-0156 is a critical-severity OS command injection vulnerability in awesome_spawn (rubygems), affecting versions < 1.2.0. It is fixed in 1.2.0. Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host.
How severe is CVE-2014-0156? CVE-2014-0156 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
Which versions of awesome_spawn are affected by CVE-2014-0156? awesome_spawn (rubygems) versions < 1.2.0 is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2014-0156? Yes. CVE-2014-0156 is fixed in 1.2.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2014-0156 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2014-0156 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
What actually determines whether CVE-2014-0156 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
How do I fix CVE-2014-0156? Upgrade awesome_spawn to 1.2.0 or later.