RexmlApplication · Ruby Lang
CVE-2024-41123
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 · uneditedREXML is an XML toolkit for Ruby. The REXML gem before 3.3.2 has some DoS vulnerabilities when it parses an XML that has many specific characters such as whitespace character, `>]` and `]>`. The REXML gem 3.3.3 or later include the patches to fix these vulnerabilities.
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 confidenceREXML is a Ruby XML parsing library. This HIGH-severity DoS vulnerability (CVSS 7.5) allows attackers to cause excessive resource consumption by feeding XML documents containing many specific characters (whitespace, `>]` and `]>`) to the parser, potentially rendering the service unavailable.
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
RexmlApplication
< 3.2.7>= 3.2.8, < 3.3.2CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
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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Check installed REXML gem versionRun `gem list rexml` in your Ruby environment or check the version listed in your Gemfile.lock under the rexml entryAffected if The version is lower than 3.2.7, or is 3.2.8 through 3.3.1 (the affected version ranges)
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Verify REXML is loaded in your applicationSearch your codebase for `require 'rexml'` or `require 'rexml/document'` statements, or look for REXML module usage in your codeAffected if Your application loads the REXML library to parse XML documents
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Identify XML parsing entry pointsReview your application code for methods that accept XML input (API endpoints, file uploads, external data feeds) that feed into REXML parsing functionsAffected if Your application processes untrusted or attacker-controlled XML documents through REXML
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Confirm version comparison against affected rangesCompare your installed REXML version to the vulnerable ranges: any version < 3.2.7 OR >= 3.2.8 but < 3.3.2 is vulnerableAffected if Your installed REXML version falls within < 3.2.7 or >= 3.2.8, < 3.3.2
You are affected if your Ruby application loads and uses REXML to parse XML and your installed REXML version is below 3.3.2.
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 · scoped3.2.73.3.2
Upgrade REXML gem to version 3.3.3 or later in all Ruby applications that depend on it. This is a straightforward gem update but requires testing to ensure XML parsing functionality remains intact.
Rexml gem version 3.3.3 or later
- 1. Identify the current version of the Rexml gem in your Ruby project by checking your Gemfile, Gemfile.lock, or running `gem list rexml`
- 2. Run `gem update rexml` to upgrade to the latest version, or specify `gem 'rexml', '>= 3.3.3'` in your Gemfile
- 3. Run `bundle install` or `bundle update rexml` to apply the changes
- 4. Verify the installed version by running `gem list rexml` to confirm version 3.3.3 or later is installed
- 5. Test your application's XML parsing functionality to ensure the upgrade does not break existing functionality
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Rexml
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,936.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-41123 — 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-2024-41123 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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