CVE-2013-0256 — rdoc
Fix: rdoc/rdoc@ffa8788CVE-2013-0256 is a Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in rdoc. A fix is available for rdoc — see the affected versions and patch details below.
RDoc contains XSS vulnerability
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
Real-World Exposure
rdocReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects RubyGems packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
darkfish.js in RDoc 2.3.0 through 3.12 and 4.x before 4.0.0.preview2.1, as used in Ruby, does not properly generate documents, which allows remote attackers to conduct cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks via a crafted URL.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 💎RubyGems | rdoc | ≥ 2.3.0&&< 3.12.1 | 3.12.1bundle update rdoc --conservative |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for rdoc, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update rdoc to 3.12.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2013-0256 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2013-0256 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2013-0256. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| CloudForms for RHEL 6 | rubygem-activesupport-1:3.0.10-10.el6cf | RHSA-2013:0548 |
| Red Hat Subscription Asset Manager 1.2 | candlepin-0:0.7.24-1.el6_3 | RHSA-2013:0686 |
| RHEL 6 Version of OpenShift Enterprise | ruby193-ruby-0:1.9.3.327-28.el6 | RHSA-2013:0701 |
| RHEL 6 Version of OpenShift Enterprise | ruby193-rubygem-activesupport-1:3.2.8-4.el6 | RHSA-2013:0728 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2013-0256 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2013-0256 across RubyGems dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.