Summary
Mechanize before v2.8.5 vulnerable to authorization header leak on port redirect
Summary
Mechanize (rubygem) < v2.8.5 leaks the Authorization header after a redirect to a different port on the same site.
Mitigation
Upgrade to Mechanize v2.8.5 or later.
Notes
See https://curl.se/docs/CVE-2022-27776.html for a similar vulnerability in curl.
Cookies are shared with a server at a different port on the same site, per https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc6265#section-8.5 which states in part:
Cookies do not provide isolation by port. If a cookie is readable
by a service running on one port, the cookie is also readable by a
service running on another port of the same server. If a cookie is
writable by a service on one port, the cookie is also writable by a
service running on another port of the same server. For this
reason, servers SHOULD NOT both run mutually distrusting services on
different ports of the same host and use cookies to store security-
sensitive information.
Impact
CVE-2022-31033 has a CVSS score of 5.9 (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 (2.8.5); 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-2022-31033? CVE-2022-31033 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in mechanize (rubygems), affecting versions < 2.8.5. It is fixed in 2.8.5.
- How severe is CVE-2022-31033? CVE-2022-31033 has a CVSS score of 5.9 (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 mechanize are affected by CVE-2022-31033? mechanize (rubygems) versions < 2.8.5 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2022-31033? Yes. CVE-2022-31033 is fixed in 2.8.5. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2022-31033 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-31033 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-2022-31033 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-2022-31033? Upgrade
mechanizeto 2.8.5 or later.