CVE-2019-8323

RubyGems Escape sequence injection vulnerability in api response handling

An issue was discovered in RubyGems 2.6 and later through 3.0.2. Gem::GemcutterUtilities#with_response may output the API response to stdout as it is. Therefore, if the API side modifies the response, escape sequence injection may occur.

CVE-2019-8323 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). 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 (2.7.9, 3.0.2); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

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1. What is CVE-2019-8323? CVE-2019-8323 is a high-severity security vulnerability in rubygems-update (rubygems), affecting versions >= 2.6.0, < 2.7.9. It is fixed in 2.7.9, 3.0.2.
2. How severe is CVE-2019-8323? CVE-2019-8323 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). 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.
3. Which versions of rubygems-update are affected by CVE-2019-8323? rubygems-update (rubygems) versions >= 2.6.0, < 2.7.9 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2019-8323? Yes. CVE-2019-8323 is fixed in 2.7.9, 3.0.2. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2019-8323 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2019-8323 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
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2019-8323 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.
7. How do I fix CVE-2019-8323?
   • Upgrade rubygems-update to 2.7.9 or later
   • Upgrade rubygems-update to 3.0.2 or later

Other vulnerabilities in rubygems-update