RailsApplication · Rubyonrails
CVE-2016-0752
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 · uneditedDirectory 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.
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 confidenceDirectory traversal vulnerability in Rails Action View allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files by using '..' sequences in paths passed to the render method. This bypasses intended view directory restrictions and enables access to sensitive system files.
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
< 3.2.22.1>= 4.0.0, < 4.1.14.1>= 4.2.0, < 4.2.5.1= 5.0.0
Debian LinuxOperating system
= 8.0
Software CollectionsApplication
= 1.0= 42.1= 13.2= 12CVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Determine installed Rails versionRun 'rails --version' in the application root directory, or check the Gemfile.lock for the rails gem version, or run 'gem list rails' to list installed Rails gemsAffected if The version is less than 3.2.22.1, OR between 4.0.0 and 4.1.14.1 (exclusive), OR between 4.2.0 and 4.2.5.1 (exclusive), OR equals 5.0.0 (not 5.0.0.beta1.1 or later)
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Identify render method calls with dynamic path parametersSearch application code for render calls that accept path parameters, particularly those that could be influenced by user input (e.g., render params[:template], render "#{some_variable}", render file: params[:path])Affected if The application uses the render method with dynamically constructed paths derived from user-supplied input without validation
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Review controller actions for path traversal patternsExamine controller files for patterns like 'render params[:view]', 'render file: params[:file]', or similar constructs where user parameters are passed directly to renderAffected if User-provided parameters are used directly in render calls without sanitization of '..' sequences
You are affected if your Rails version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND your application passes unsanitized user input to the render method.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
dbcve · scoped3.2.22.14.1.14.14.2.5.1
Upgrade Rails to version 3.2.22.1, 4.1.14.1, 4.2.5.1, or 5.0.0.beta1.1 or later, which contain input validation fixes. Alternatively, audit and restrict render method calls to reject user-supplied path parameters.
Rails 3.2.22.1, 4.1.14.1, 4.2.5.1, or 5.0.0.beta1.1 and later; for Linux distros apply vendor security updates
- Identify the Rails version currently in use by checking the Gemfile or running `rails -v`
- For Rails 3.x: Upgrade to version 3.2.22.1 or later by updating the gem version in Gemfile: `gem 'rails', '3.2.22.1'` and running `bundle update rails`
- For Rails 4.0.x: Upgrade to version 4.1.14.1 or later (note: 4.0.x is EOL, consider upgrading to 4.1.x or 4.2.x)
- For Rails 4.1.x: Upgrade to version 4.1.14.1 or later by updating Gemfile and running `bundle update rails`
- For Rails 4.2.x: Upgrade to version 4.2.5.1 or later by updating Gemfile and running `bundle update rails`
- For Rails 5.0.0: Upgrade to version 5.0.0.beta1.1 or later
- After updating, run `bundle install` to install the new gem version
- Test the application thoroughly to ensure the upgrade does not break existing functionality
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Rails
Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,656.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-0752 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-0752 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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