Directory traversal vulnerability in actionpack/lib/action_dispatch/middleware/static.rb in Action Pack in Ruby on Rails 3.x before 3.2.21,
Directory traversal vulnerability in actionpack/lib/action_dispatch/middleware/static.rb in Action Pack in Ruby on Rails 3.x before 3.2.21, 4.0.x before 4.0.12, 4.1.x before 4.1.8, and 4.2.x before 4.2.0.beta4, when serve_static_assets is enabled, allows remote attackers to determine the existence of files outside the application root via vectors involving a \ (backslash) character, a similar issue to CVE-2014-7818.
- Published
- Nov 18, 2014
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 4.2% · 91th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-22
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Report tools
Action score
21
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 20 / 40 · 5.0 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 1 / 30 · 4.2%
Affected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| opensuse | opensuse | cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:opensuse |
| rubyonrails | rails | cpe:2.3:a:rubyonrails:rails |
| rubyonrails | ruby on rails | cpe:2.3:a:rubyonrails:ruby_on_rails |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- opensuse opensuse12.3
- opensuse opensuse13.1
- opensuse opensuse13.2
- rubyonrails rails3.0.0
- rubyonrails rails3.0.1
- rubyonrails rails3.0.10
- rubyonrails rails3.0.11
- rubyonrails rails3.0.12
- rubyonrails rails3.0.13
- rubyonrails rails3.0.14
- rubyonrails rails3.0.16
- rubyonrails rails3.0.17
- rubyonrails rails3.0.18
- rubyonrails rails3.0.19
- rubyonrails rails3.0.2
- rubyonrails rails3.0.20
- rubyonrails rails3.0.3
- rubyonrails rails3.0.4
- rubyonrails rails3.0.5
- rubyonrails rails3.0.6
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | rails | before 2:4.1.8-1 | 2:4.1.8-1 |
| RubyGems | actionpack | from 3.0.0 · before 3.2.21 | 3.2.21 |
| RubyGems | actionpack | from 4.0.0 · before 4.0.12 | 4.0.12 |
| RubyGems | actionpack | from 4.1.0 · before 4.1.8 | 4.1.8 |
| RubyGems | actionpack | from 4.2.0.beta1 · before 4.2.0.beta4 | 4.2.0.beta4 |
Same product
opensuse: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2013-4115Buffer overflow in the idnsALookup function in dns_internal.cc in Squid 3.2 through 3.2.11 and 3.3 through 3.3.6 allows remote attackers to 43Plan
- CVE-2015-7805Heap-based buffer overflow in libsndfile 1.0.25 allows remote attackers to have unspecified impact via the headindex value in the header in 41Plan
- CVE-2015-5957Buffer overflow in the DumpSysVar function in var.c in Remind before 3.1.15 allows attackers to have unspecified impact via a long name.41Plan
- CVE-2008-2388Multiple off-by-one errors in opensuse-updater in openSUSE 10.2 have unspecified impact and attack vectors.40Plan
- CVE-2016-2335The CInArchive::ReadFileItem method in Archive/Udf/UdfIn.cpp in 7zip 9.20 and 15.05 beta and p7zip allows remote attackers to cause a denial38Monitor
- CVE-2016-1663The SerializedScriptValue::transferArrayBuffers function in WebKit/Source/bindings/core/v8/SerializedScriptValue.cpp in the V8 bindings in B35Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| debian:rails | 2:4.1.8-1 · Debian:12 | Package registry (OSV) |
| RubyGems:actionpack | 3.2.21 | Package registry (OSV) |
| RubyGems:actionpack | 4.0.12 | Package registry (OSV) |
| RubyGems:actionpack | 4.1.8 | Package registry (OSV) |
| RubyGems:actionpack | 4.2.0.beta4 | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
The product’s vendor appears in a public program. Matched by name; verify the scope text in the program.
Technical details
Attack conditions
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- P · data can be read
- Integrity
- none
- Availability
- none
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Confidentiality impact
- P
- Integrity impact
- None
- Availability impact
- None
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')CVSS vector
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
nvd-primary
Root cause
A user-supplied file name is joined with the allowed directory, but the result is never checked to confirm it is still inside that directory.
The bug in code
The whole CWE-22 classA representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.
Vulnerable
const file = path.join(ROOT, req.query.name);res.sendFile(file);Fixed
const file = path.resolve(ROOT, req.query.name);if (!file.startsWith(ROOT + path.sep)) { return res.sendStatus(400);}res.sendFile(file);Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- Path TraversalCAPEC-126likelihood: High · Very High
- Using Slashes and URL Encoding Combined to Bypass Validation LogicCAPEC-64likelihood: High · High
- Manipulating Web Input to File System CallsCAPEC-76likelihood: High · Very High
- Using Escaped Slashes in Alternate EncodingCAPEC-78likelihood: High · High
- Using Slashes in Alternate EncodingCAPEC-79likelihood: High · High
ATT&CK techniques
—
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for all 385,000+ vulnerabilities; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for helpChange log
- Fix✗ → ✓
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References
- lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2014-11/msg00112.html
- www.securityfocus.com/bid/71183
- puppet.com/security/cve/cve-2014-7829
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.