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
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
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 |
Affected Products
ubuntu linuxcanonicalrdocruby-langrubyruby-langDetection & 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
Escape or sanitise the affected output on the server side rather than relying on client-side filtering, and add a Content-Security-Policy that blocks inline script execution so injected markup cannot run even if it reaches the page.
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?
Find it across RubyGems, including transitive dependencies.