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RailsApplication · Rubyonrails

CVE-2012-3424

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-08-08
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The decode_credentials method in actionpack/lib/action_controller/metal/http_authentication.rb in Ruby on Rails 3.x before 3.0.16, 3.1.x before 3.1.7, and 3.2.x before 3.2.7 converts Digest Authentication strings to symbols, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service by leveraging access to an application that uses a with_http_digest helper method, as demonstrated by the authenticate_or_request_with_http_digest method.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

In Ruby on Rails 3.x before 3.0.16, 3.1.x before 3.1.7, and 3.2.x before 3.2.7, the decode_credentials method in ActionPack's HTTP authentication module converts Digest Authentication credentials to Ruby symbols. Since Ruby symbols are not garbage collected, an attacker sending varied credentials can exhaust server memory by creating unlimited symbols, causing denial of service.

MitigationUpgrade Ruby on Rails to version 3.0.16, 3.1.7, 3.2.7 or later. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, avoid using HTTP digest authentication helpers (authenticate_or_request_with_http_digest) until the patch can be applied.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
RailsApplication
Affected:= 3.0.0= 3.0.1= 3.0.2= 3.0.3= 3.0.4= 3.0.5= 3.0.6= 3.0.7= 3.0.8= 3.0.9= 3.0.10= 3.0.11
Ruby On RailsApplication
Affected:= 3.0.4

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed Rails version
    Run 'rails -v' in the application directory or check the Gemfile for the rails gem version
    Affected if The version is 3.0.0 through 3.0.15, 3.1.0 through 3.1.6, or 3.2.0 through 3.2.6
  2. Verify HTTP digest authentication is in use
    Search the codebase for 'authenticate_or_request_with_http_digest' or 'http_digest' method calls in controllers
    Affected if The application uses HTTP digest authentication helpers in any controller
  3. Check for exposure to unauthenticated requests
    Review the routes and controllers to determine if digest authentication can be triggered by remote unauthenticated users
    Affected if The digest authentication is accessible to remote attackers without requiring prior authentication
  4. Inspect ActionPack version
    Check the installed actionpack gem version via 'gem list actionpack' or Bundler
    Affected if The actionpack gem version corresponds to a vulnerable Rails version (check against step 1)
  5. Review memory consumption patterns
    Monitor Ruby symbol count using ObjectSpace.count_symbols or observe memory growth during digest auth testing
    Affected if Symbol count grows unbounded or memory usage spikes when varied credentials are sent to digest-protected endpoints

You are affected if your Rails version is 3.0.x before 3.0.16, 3.1.x before 3.1.7, or 3.2.x before 3.2.7 AND your application uses HTTP digest authentication, allowing remote attackers to create unlimited symbols and exhaust server memory.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade Ruby on Rails to version 3.0.16, 3.1.7, 3.2.7 or later. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, avoid using HTTP digest authentication helpers (authenticate_or_request_with_http_digest) until the patch can be applied.

Fix this in Rails Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,080
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2012-3424 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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