Summary
actionview contains Path Traversal vulnerability
There is a possible directory traversal and information leak vulnerability in Action View. This was meant to be fixed on CVE-2016-0752. However the 3.2 patch was not covering all possible scenarios. This vulnerability has been assigned the CVE identifier CVE-2016-2097.
Versions Affected: 3.2.x, 4.0.x, 4.1.x
Not affected: 4.2+
Fixed Versions: 3.2.22.2, 4.1.14.2
Impact
Applications that pass unverified user input to the render method in a controller may be vulnerable to an information leak vulnerability.
Impacted code will look something like this:
def index
render params[:id]
end
Carefully crafted requests can cause the above code to render files from unexpected places like outside the application's view directory, and can possibly escalate this to a remote code execution attack.
All users running an affected release should either upgrade or use one of the workarounds immediately.
Releases
The FIXED releases are available at the normal locations.
Workarounds
A workaround to this issue is to not pass arbitrary user input to the render method. Instead, verify that data before passing it to the render method.
For example, change this:
def index
render params[:id]
end
To this:
def index
render verify_template(params[:id])
end
private
def verify_template(name)
# add verification logic particular to your application here
end
Patches
To aid users who aren't able to upgrade immediately we have provided patches for it. It is in git-am format and consist of a single changeset.
- 3-2-render_data_leak_2.patch - Patch for 3.2 series
- 4-1-render_data_leak_2.patch - Patch for 4.1 series
Credits
Thanks to both Jyoti Singh and Tobias Kraze from makandra for reporting this and working with us in the patch!
Impact
Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files. Typical impact: unauthorized file read or write outside the intended directory.
CVE-2016-2097 has a CVSS score of 5.3 (Medium). 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 (3.2.22.2, 4.1.14.2); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
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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See it in your environmentNew to Kodem? Get a demo →Remediation advice
actionview to 3.2.22.2 or later; actionview to 4.1.14.2 or later; actionpack to 3.2.22.2 or later; actionpack to 4.1.14.2 or later
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2016-2097? CVE-2016-2097 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in actionview (rubygems), affecting versions >= 3.0.0, <= 3.2.22.1. It is fixed in 3.2.22.2, 4.1.14.2. Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files.
- How severe is CVE-2016-2097? CVE-2016-2097 has a CVSS score of 5.3 (Medium). 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 packages are affected by CVE-2016-2097?
actionview(rubygems) (versions >= 3.0.0, <= 3.2.22.1)actionpack(rubygems) (versions >= 3.0.0, <= 3.2.22.1)
- Is there a fix for CVE-2016-2097? Yes. CVE-2016-2097 is fixed in 3.2.22.2, 4.1.14.2. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2016-2097 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2016-2097 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-2016-2097 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-2016-2097?
- Upgrade
actionviewto 3.2.22.2 or later - Upgrade
actionviewto 4.1.14.2 or later - Upgrade
actionpackto 3.2.22.2 or later - Upgrade
actionpackto 4.1.14.2 or later
- Upgrade