CVE-2020-16252

Field Test CSRF vulnerability

The Field Test dashboard is vulnerable to cross-site request forgery (CSRF) with non-session based authentication methods in versions v0.2.0 through v0.3.2.

Technical Details

Field Test uses the protect_from_forgery method from Rails to prevent CSRF. However, this defaults to :null_session, which has no effect on non-session based authentication methods. This has been changed to protect_from_forgery with: :exception.

The Field Test dashboard is vulnerable to CSRF with non-session based authentication methods, like basic authentication. Session-based authentication methods (like Devise's default authentication) are not affected.

A CSRF attack works by getting an authorized user to visit a malicious website and then performing requests on behalf of the user. In this instance, a single endpoint is affected, which allows for changing the variant assigned to a user.

All users running an affected release should upgrade immediately.

A victim's authenticated browser session is used to submit forged requests to an application that cannot distinguish them from legitimate ones. Typical impact: state-changing actions performed as the victim without their consent.

CVE-2020-16252 has a CVSS score of 4.3 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and user interaction required. 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 (0.4.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

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1. What is CVE-2020-16252? CVE-2020-16252 is a medium-severity cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in field_test (rubygems), affecting versions >= 0.2.0, <= 0.3.2. It is fixed in 0.4.0. A victim's authenticated browser session is used to submit forged requests to an application that cannot distinguish them from legitimate ones.
2. How severe is CVE-2020-16252? CVE-2020-16252 has a CVSS score of 4.3 (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.
3. Which versions of field_test are affected by CVE-2020-16252? field_test (rubygems) versions >= 0.2.0, <= 0.3.2 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2020-16252? Yes. CVE-2020-16252 is fixed in 0.4.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2020-16252 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2020-16252 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-2020-16252 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-2020-16252? Upgrade field_test to 0.4.0 or later.

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