What is CVE-2020-8130?

CVE-2020-8130 is a medium-severity OS command injection vulnerability in rake (rubygems), affecting versions <= 12.3.2. It is fixed in 12.3.3. Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host.

How severe is CVE-2020-8130?

CVE-2020-8130 has a CVSS score of 6.4 (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 rake are affected by CVE-2020-8130?

rake (rubygems) versions <= 12.3.2 is affected.

Is there a fix for CVE-2020-8130?

Yes. CVE-2020-8130 is fixed in 12.3.3. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2020-8130 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2020-8130 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-2020-8130 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-2020-8130 in rake

Q: How severe is CVE-2020-8130?

CVE-2020-8130 has a CVSS score of 6.4 (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.

Q: Which versions of rake are affected by CVE-2020-8130?

rake (rubygems) versions <= 12.3.2 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2020-8130?

Yes. CVE-2020-8130 is fixed in 12.3.3. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2020-8130 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2020-8130 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-2020-8130 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-2020-8130?

Upgrade rake to 12.3.3 or later.

Summary

OS Command Injection in Rake

There is an OS command injection vulnerability in Ruby Rake before 12.3.3 in Rake::FileList when supplying a filename that begins with the pipe character |.

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-2020-8130 has a CVSS score of 6.4 (Medium). The vector is requires local access, high 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 (12.3.3); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

rake (<= 12.3.2)

Security releases

rake → 12.3.3 (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 rake to 12.3.3 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-2020-8130? CVE-2020-8130 is a medium-severity OS command injection vulnerability in rake (rubygems), affecting versions <= 12.3.2. It is fixed in 12.3.3. Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host.
How severe is CVE-2020-8130? CVE-2020-8130 has a CVSS score of 6.4 (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 rake are affected by CVE-2020-8130? rake (rubygems) versions <= 12.3.2 is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2020-8130? Yes. CVE-2020-8130 is fixed in 12.3.3. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2020-8130 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2020-8130 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-2020-8130 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-2020-8130? Upgrade rake to 12.3.3 or later.