Summary
ReDoS based DoS vulnerability in Action Dispatch
There is a possible regular expression based DoS vulnerability in Action Dispatch. This vulnerability has been assigned the CVE identifier CVE-2023-22792.
Versions Affected: >= 3.0.0 Not affected: < 3.0.0 Fixed Versions: 5.2.8.15 (Rails LTS), 6.1.7.1, 7.0.4.1
Impact
Specially crafted cookies, in combination with a specially crafted X_FORWARDED_HOST header can cause the regular expression engine to enter a state of catastrophic backtracking. This can cause the process to use large amounts of CPU and memory, leading to a possible DoS vulnerability All users running an affected release should either upgrade or use one of the workarounds immediately.
Releases
The FIXED releases are available at the normal locations.
Workarounds
We recommend that all users upgrade to one of the FIXED versions. In the meantime, users can mitigate this vulnerability by using a load balancer or other device to filter out malicious X_FORWARDED_HOST headers before they reach the application.
Patches
To aid users who aren’t able to upgrade immediately we have provided patches for the two supported release series. They are in git-am format and consist of a single changeset.
6-1-Use-string-split-instead-of-regex-for-domain-parts.patch - Patch for 6.1 series
7-0-Use-string-split-instead-of-regex-for-domain-parts.patch - Patch for 7.0 series
Please note that only the 7.0.Z and 6.1.Z series are supported at present, and 6.0.Z for severe vulnerabilities. Users of earlier unsupported releases are advised to upgrade as soon as possible as we cannot guarantee the continued availability of security fixes for unsupported releases.
https://rubyonrails.org/2023/1/17/Rails-Versions-6-0-6-1-6-1-7-1-7-0-4-1-have-been-released
Impact
Crafted input forces the application to consume excessive CPU, memory, or other resources, degrading or denying service. Typical impact: denial of service.
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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actionpack to 5.2.8.15 or later; actionpack to 7.0.4.1 or later; actionpack to 6.1.7.1 or later
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2023-22792? CVE-2023-22792 is a low-severity uncontrolled resource consumption vulnerability in actionpack (rubygems), affecting versions >= 3.0.0, < 5.2.8.15. It is fixed in 5.2.8.15, 7.0.4.1, 6.1.7.1. Crafted input forces the application to consume excessive CPU, memory, or other resources, degrading or denying service.
- Which versions of actionpack are affected by CVE-2023-22792? actionpack (rubygems) versions >= 3.0.0, < 5.2.8.15 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2023-22792? Yes. CVE-2023-22792 is fixed in 5.2.8.15, 7.0.4.1, 6.1.7.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2023-22792 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-22792 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-2023-22792 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-2023-22792?
- Upgrade
actionpackto 5.2.8.15 or later - Upgrade
actionpackto 7.0.4.1 or later - Upgrade
actionpackto 6.1.7.1 or later
- Upgrade