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JsonApplication · Json Project

CVE-2020-10663

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-04-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.2.0 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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 JSON gem through 2.2.0 for Ruby, as used in Ruby 2.4 through 2.4.9, 2.5 through 2.5.7, and 2.6 through 2.6.5, has an Unsafe Object Creation Vulnerability. This is quite similar to CVE-2013-0269, but does not rely on poor garbage-collection behavior within Ruby. Specifically, use of JSON parsing methods can lead to creation of a malicious object within the interpreter, with adverse effects that are application-dependent.

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

The JSON gem through version 2.2.0 for Ruby contains an Unsafe Object Creation Vulnerability. Attackers can craft malicious JSON input that causes the parser to instantiate arbitrary Ruby objects within the interpreter, similar to CVE-2013-0269 but without relying on Ruby's garbage collection behavior. The impact is application-dependent based on what objects can be instantiated.

MitigationUpdate the JSON gem to version 2.2.1 or later. Review application code that uses JSON parsing to ensure no insecure object instantiation patterns exist.

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
JsonApplication
Affected:<= 2.2.0
FedoraOperating system
Affected:= 30= 31
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 8.0= 10.0
LeapOperating system
Affected:= 15.1
macOSOperating system
Affected:= 11.0.1

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
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

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

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

  1. Check installed JSON gem version
    Run `gem list json` or `ruby -e "require 'json'; puts JSON::VERSION"` to see the installed version
    Affected if Version is 2.2.0 or lower
  2. Identify JSON gem usage in application
    Search codebase for `require 'json'` and JSON.parse calls, particularly looking for `create_additions: true` or default behavior
    Affected if JSON parsing is used with create_additions enabled (default in some configurations)
  3. Check Gemfile or gemspec for JSON gem dependency
    Inspect Gemfile, Gemfile.lock, or *.gemspec files for json gem version specification
    Affected if Json gem is pinned to version <= 2.2.0 or no version constraint allowing update
  4. Verify Ruby process loads JSON gem
    Run `ruby -e "require 'json'; p JSON::Parser::Integer::PARSER"` to check if custom parser with unsafe object creation is active
    Affected if Custom parser objects can be instantiated through JSON parsing

You are affected if the JSON gem version is 2.2.0 or lower and your application parses untrusted JSON input with create_additions enabled.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 2.2.0
Interim mitigation

Update the JSON gem to version 2.2.1 or later. Review application code that uses JSON parsing to ensure no insecure object instantiation patterns exist.

Fix this in Json Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,340
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,144.

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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-2020-10663 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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data