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NVD / CVE Program· CNA redhat

CVE-2016-0752: Directory traversal vulnerability in Action View in Ruby on Rails before 3.2.22.1, 4.0.x and 4.1.x before 4.1.14.1, 4.2.x before 4.2.5.1…

HighCVSS 7.5 · v3.1KEVWeaponized Fix available

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Now (action score 89/100)

  • CISA has confirmed exploitation in the wild (Mar 25, 2022). Remediation deadline for US federal agencies: Apr 15, 2022.
  • A ready-made attack module is public (Metasploit); exploiting it takes no special expertise.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 95.5% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 99.8% of all records.
  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • According to CISA the attack is automatable: targets can be found by mass scanning.
  • Fixed version: rails (Debian:12) 2:4.2.5.1-1; ruby-actionpack-3.2 (Debian:7) 3.2.6-6+deb7u3; rails (Debian:8) 2:4.1.8-1+deb8u1.

Patch today or shut off access. Upgrade to rails (Debian:12) 2:4.2.5.1-1; ruby-actionpack-3.2 (Debian:7) 3.2.6-6+deb7u3; rails (Debian:8) 2:4.1.8-1+deb8u1 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · CISA KEV · FIRST EPSS

Directory traversal vulnerability in Action View in Ruby on Rails before 3.2.22.1, 4.0.x and 4.1.x before 4.1.14.1, 4.2.x before 4.2.5.1, and 5.x before 5.0.0.beta1.1 allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files by leveraging an application's unrestricted use of the render method and providing a .. (dot dot) in a pathname.

Published
Feb 15, 2016
Updated
Jun 16, 2026
EPSS
95.5% · 99th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

89

Now

Patch today or shut off access.

CVSS
30 / 40 · 7.5 / 10
CISA KEV
30 / 30 · Listed
EPSS
29 / 30 · 95.5%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
active
Automatable
yes
Technical impact
partial

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

Actively exploited in the wild

CISA added this to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on Mar 25, 2022. That signals real attacks, not theory.

Remediation deadline for US federal agencies: Apr 15, 2022.

Get told when this record changes

  • In CISA KEV: exploitation in the wild confirmed
  • Weaponized exploit exists
  • A fix has been released

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Follow CVE-2016-0752

When you'll hear from us

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  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
rubyonrailsrails
opensuseleap
opensuseopensuse
suselinux enterprise module for containers
debiandebian linux
redhatsoftware collections

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • debian debian linux8.0
  • opensuse leap42.1
  • opensuse opensuse13.2
  • redhat software collections1.0
  • rubyonrails rails4.2.0 and later · before 4.2.5.1
  • rubyonrails rails4.0.0 and later · before 4.1.14.1
  • rubyonrails railsbefore 3.2.22.1
  • rubyonrails rails5.0.0
  • suse linux enterprise module for containers12

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:12railsbefore 2:4.2.5.1-12:4.2.5.1-1
Debian:7ruby-actionpack-3.2before 3.2.6-6+deb7u33.2.6-6+deb7u3
Debian:8railsbefore 2:4.1.8-1+deb8u12:4.1.8-1+deb8u1
Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6rh-ror41-rubygem-actionpackbefore 1:4.1.5-3.el61:4.1.5-3.el6
Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6rh-ror41-rubygem-actionpack-docbefore 1:4.1.5-3.el61:4.1.5-3.el6
Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6rh-ror41-rubygem-actionviewbefore 0:4.1.5-4.el60:4.1.5-4.el6
Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6rh-ror41-rubygem-actionview-docbefore 0:4.1.5-4.el60:4.1.5-4.el6
Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6rh-ror41-rubygem-activemodelbefore 0:4.1.5-2.el60:4.1.5-2.el6
Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6rh-ror41-rubygem-activemodel-docbefore 0:4.1.5-2.el60:4.1.5-2.el6
Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6rh-ror41-rubygem-activerecordbefore 1:4.1.5-2.el61:4.1.5-2.el6
Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6rh-ror41-rubygem-activerecord-docbefore 1:4.1.5-2.el61:4.1.5-2.el6
Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6rh-ror41-rubygem-activesupportbefore 1:4.1.5-3.el61:4.1.5-3.el6
Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6ror40-rubygem-actionpackbefore 1:4.0.2-7.el61:4.0.2-7.el6
Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6ror40-rubygem-actionpack-docbefore 1:4.0.2-7.el61:4.0.2-7.el6
Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6ror40-rubygem-activerecordbefore 1:4.0.2-6.el61:4.0.2-6.el6
Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6ror40-rubygem-activerecord-docbefore 1:4.0.2-6.el61:4.0.2-6.el6
Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6ror40-rubygem-activesupportbefore 1:4.0.2-4.el61:4.0.2-4.el6
Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6ruby193-rubygem-actionpackbefore 1:3.2.8-16.el61:3.2.8-16.el6
Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6ruby193-rubygem-actionpack-docbefore 1:3.2.8-16.el61:3.2.8-16.el6
Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6ruby193-rubygem-activerecordbefore 1:3.2.8-11.el61:3.2.8-11.el6
Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6ruby193-rubygem-activerecord-docbefore 1:3.2.8-11.el61:3.2.8-11.el6
Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6ruby193-rubygem-activesupportbefore 1:3.2.8-6.el61:3.2.8-6.el6
Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el7rh-ror41-rubygem-actionpackbefore 1:4.1.5-3.el71:4.1.5-3.el7
Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el7rh-ror41-rubygem-actionpack-docbefore 1:4.1.5-3.el71:4.1.5-3.el7

+33

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2019-5418There is a File Content Disclosure vulnerability in Action View <5.2.2.1, <5.1.6.2, <5.0.7.2, <4.2.11.1 and v3 where specially crafted…KEV
    90Now
  • CVE-2019-5420A remote code execution vulnerability in development mode Rails <5.2.2.1, <6.0.0.beta3 can allow an attacker to guess the automatically…
    66This week
  • CVE-2020-8163The is a code injection vulnerability in versions of Rails prior to 5.0.1 that wouldallow an attacker who controlled the `locals` argument…
    60This week

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2015-7581Feb 15, 2016 · actionpack/lib/action_dispatch/routing/route_set.rb in Action Pack in Ruby on Rails 4.x before 4.2.5.1 and 5.x before 5.0.0.beta1.1 allows…
    32Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2016-0751Feb 15, 2016 · actionpack/lib/action_dispatch/http/mime_type.rb in Action Pack in Ruby on Rails before 3.2.22.1, 4.0.x and 4.1.x before 4.1.14.1, 4.2.x…
    33Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2016-0753Feb 15, 2016 · Active Model in Ruby on Rails 4.1.x before 4.1.14.1, 4.2.x before 4.2.5.1, and 5.x before 5.0.0.beta1.1 supports the use of instance-level…
    23Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
debian:rails2:4.2.5.1-1 · Debian:12Package registry (OSV)
debian:ruby-actionpack-3.23.2.6-6+deb7u3 · Debian:7Package registry (OSV)
red hat:rh-ror41-rubygem-actionpack1:4.1.5-3.el6 · Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6Package registry (OSV)
red hat:rh-ror41-rubygem-actionpack-doc1:4.1.5-3.el6 · Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6Package registry (OSV)
red hat:rh-ror41-rubygem-actionview0:4.1.5-4.el6 · Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6Package registry (OSV)
red hat:rh-ror41-rubygem-actionview-doc0:4.1.5-4.el6 · Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6Package registry (OSV)
red hat:rh-ror41-rubygem-activemodel0:4.1.5-2.el6 · Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6Package registry (OSV)
red hat:rh-ror41-rubygem-activemodel-doc0:4.1.5-2.el6 · Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6Package registry (OSV)
red hat:rh-ror41-rubygem-activerecord1:4.1.5-2.el6 · Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6Package registry (OSV)
red hat:rh-ror41-rubygem-activerecord-doc1:4.1.5-2.el6 · Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6Package registry (OSV)
red hat:rh-ror41-rubygem-activesupport1:4.1.5-3.el6 · Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6Package registry (OSV)
red hat:ror40-rubygem-actionpack1:4.0.2-7.el6 · Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6Package registry (OSV)
red hat:ror40-rubygem-actionpack-doc1:4.0.2-7.el6 · Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6Package registry (OSV)
red hat:ror40-rubygem-activerecord1:4.0.2-6.el6 · Red Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6Package registry (OSV)
RubyGems:actionpack3.2.22.1Package registry (OSV)
RubyGems:actionpack4.1.14.1Package registry (OSV)
RubyGems:actionpack4.2.5.1Package registry (OSV)
RubyGems:actionview4.1.14.1Package registry (OSV)
RubyGems:actionview4.2.5.1Package registry (OSV)
suse:libjansson2.2.1-0.9.11.6 · SUSE:Studio Onsite 1.3Package registry (OSV)
suse:portus2.0.3-2.4 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 12Package registry (OSV)
suse:qemu-ext20.1.1-0.9.4.19 · SUSE:Studio Onsite 1.3Package registry (OSV)
suse:rubygem-actionpack-3_23.2.12-0.23.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 11 SP4Package registry (OSV)
suse:rubygem-actionpack-4_14.1.9-9.1 · SUSE:OpenStack Cloud 5Package registry (OSV)
suse:rubygem-actionpack-4_24.2.2-6.1 · SUSE:Enterprise Storage 2.1Package registry (OSV)
suse:rubygem-actionview-4_14.1.9-9.1 · SUSE:OpenStack Cloud 5Package registry (OSV)
suse:rubygem-actionview-4_24.2.2-5.1 · SUSE:Enterprise Storage 2.1Package registry (OSV)
suse:rubygem-bundler191.7.0-0.13.10 · SUSE:Studio Onsite 1.3Package registry (OSV)
suse:studio-help1.3.20-0.6.9 · SUSE:Studio Onsite 1.3Package registry (OSV)
suse:susestudio1.3.14-52.1 · SUSE:Studio Onsite 1.3Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

Weaponized

A ready exploit tool or active in-the-wild use is known for this vulnerability. This should be your top priority.

Evidence

  • Metasploit module ×1
  • Exploit-DB entry ×1
  • Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub ×2

Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.

Public exploit evidence
SourceKindDate
Exploit-DB entryremote2016-10-17
Metasploit moduleexploit/multi/http/rails_dynamic_render_code_execRuby on Rails Dynamic Render File Upload Remote Code Executionexploit2016-10-16
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:102016-01-26
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:02016-03-18

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.

  1. First PoC-21 d
  2. Published
  3. Metasploit+243 d
  4. CISA KEV+2229 d
  5. TodayNov 15, 2026+3925 d

Bug bounty scope

The product’s vendor appears in a public program. Matched by name; verify the scope text in the program.

Not on record for this CVE: EPSS history · patch commit or PR link · researcher credit · variant or chain candidate.

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • No account or password is required.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
high · data can be read
Integrity
none
Availability
none
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
None
Availability impact
None

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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.

A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

Vulnerable

ts
const file = path.join(ROOT, req.query.name);res.sendFile(file);

Fixed

ts
const file = path.resolve(ROOT, req.query.name);if (!file.startsWith(ROOT + path.sep)) {  return res.sendStatus(400);}res.sendFile(file);

References

All records