CVE-2022-31163
HIGHTZInfo relative path traversal vulnerability allows loading of arbitrary files
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.
Blast Radius
tzinfo💎tzinfoReal-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
TZInfo is a Ruby library that provides access to time zone data and allows times to be converted using time zone rules. Versions prior to 0.36.1, as well as those prior to 1.2.10 when used with the Ruby data source tzinfo-data, are vulnerable to relative path traversal. With the Ruby data source, time zones are defined in Ruby files. There is one file per time zone. Time zone files are loaded with require on demand. In the affected versions, TZInfo::Timezone.get fails to validate time zone identifiers correctly, allowing a new line character within the identifier. With Ruby version 1.9.3 and later, TZInfo::Timezone.get can be made to load unintended files with require, executing them within the Ruby process. Versions 0.3.61 and 1.2.10 include fixes to correctly validate time zone identifiers. Versions 2.0.0 and later are not vulnerable. Version 0.3.61 can still load arbitrary files from the Ruby load path if their name follows the rules for a valid time zone identifier and the file has a prefix of tzinfo/definition within a directory in the load path. Applications should ensure that untrusted files are not placed in a directory on the load path. As a workaround, the time zone identifier can be validated before passing to TZInfo::Timezone.get by ensuring it matches the regular expression \A[A-Za-z0-9+\-_]+(?:\/[A-Za-z0-9+\-_]+)*\z.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 💎RubyGems | tzinfo | all versions | 0.3.61 |
| 💎RubyGems | tzinfo | ≥ 1.0.0&&< 1.2.10 | 1.2.10 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for tzinfo. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update tzinfo to 0.3.61 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2022-31163 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 pinpoints whether CVE-2022-31163 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2022-31163. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2022-31163 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2022-31163 across RubyGems dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.