GHSA-46q3-7gv7-qmgg
GHSA-46q3-7gv7-qmgg is a CWE-77 vulnerability in net-imap. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-46q3-7gv7-qmgg is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Net::IMAP: Command Injection via ID command argument
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-46q3-7gv7-qmgg.
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
net-imap💎net-imapReal-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
Summary
Two Net::IMAP commands, #id and #enable, do not validate their arguments. Arguments to either command could be used by an attacker to inject arbitrary IMAP commands.
Please note that passing untrusted inputs to these commands is usually inappropriate and expected to be uncommon.
Details
When Net::IMAP#id is called with a hash argument, although the ID field value strings are correctly quoted (escaping quoted specials), they were not validated to prohibit CRLF sequences.
While Net::IMAP#enable does process its arguments for aliases, it does not validate them as valid atoms (or as a list of valid atoms). The #to_s value is sent verbatim.
Impact
This is expected to impact very few users: use of untrusted user input for either command is expected to be very uncommon.
The documentation for #enable explicitly warns that using any arguments that are not in the explicitly supported list may result in undocumented behavior. Using arbitrary untrusted user input for #enable will always be inappropriate.
Although client ID field values will most commonly be static and hardcoded, dynamic input sources may be used. For example, client ID fields may be set by configuration or version numbers. Using untrusted user inputs for client ID fields is expected to be uncommon. But any untrusted inputs to client ID can trivially exploit this vulnerability.
Untrusted inputs to either command may include a CRLF sequence followed by a new IMAP command (like DELETE mailbox). Although this does not directly enable data exfiltration, it could be combined with other attack vectors or knowledge of the target system's attributes, e.g.: shared mail folders or the application's installed response handlers.
Mitigation
Update to a version of net-imap which validates #id and #enable arguments.
Untrusted inputs should never be used for #enable arguments.
If net-imap cannot be upgraded:
- do not use untrusted inputs for client ID field values
- or add validation that client ID field values must not contain any CR or LF bytes.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 💎RubyGems | net-imap | ≥ 0.6.0&&< 0.6.4.1 | 0.6.4.1 |
| 💎RubyGems | net-imap | all versions | 0.5.15 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for net-imap. 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 net-imap to 0.6.4.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-46q3-7gv7-qmgg 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 GHSA-46q3-7gv7-qmgg 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 GHSA-46q3-7gv7-qmgg. 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.
This is an Important flaw in the Net::IMAP Ruby library, which could allow a remote attacker to inject arbitrary IMAP commands. This is due to improper input validation when handling ID field values and arguments to the `enable` command. Successful exploitation requires user interaction, but could lead to manipulation…
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-46q3-7gv7-qmgg in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-46q3-7gv7-qmgg across RubyGems dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.