Summary
Phusion Passenger incorrect permission assignment
An issue was discovered in switchGroup() in agent/ExecHelper/ExecHelperMain.cpp in Phusion Passenger before 5.3.2. The set of groups (gidset) is not set correctly, leaving it up to randomness (i.e., uninitialized memory) which supplementary groups are actually being set while lowering privileges.
Impact
A file, directory, or other resource is assigned permissions that allow broader access than intended. Typical impact: unauthorized read, modification, or execution of the resource.
CVE-2018-12615 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 (5.3.2); 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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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2018-12615? CVE-2018-12615 is a medium-severity incorrect permission assignment for critical resource vulnerability in passenger (rubygems), affecting versions < 5.3.2. It is fixed in 5.3.2. A file, directory, or other resource is assigned permissions that allow broader access than intended.
- How severe is CVE-2018-12615? CVE-2018-12615 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 versions of passenger are affected by CVE-2018-12615? passenger (rubygems) versions < 5.3.2 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2018-12615? Yes. CVE-2018-12615 is fixed in 5.3.2. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2018-12615 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2018-12615 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-2018-12615 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-2018-12615? Upgrade
passengerto 5.3.2 or later.