GHSA-8cr8-4vfw-mr7h is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) vulnerability in rexml. A fix is available for rexml — see the affected versions and patch details below.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-8cr8-4vfw-mr7h by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 395,249 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.
Real-World Exposure
rexmlReal-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
The REXML gem before 3.2.5 in Ruby before 2.6.7, 2.7.x before 2.7.3, and 3.x before 3.0.1 does not properly address XML round-trip issues. An incorrect document can be produced after parsing and serializing.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 💎RubyGems | rexml | all versions | 3.2.5bundle update rexml --conservative |
Affected Products
fedorafedoraprojectrexmlruby-langrubyruby-langDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for rexml, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update rexml to 3.2.5 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-8cr8-4vfw-mr7h 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | ruby:2.7-8040020210421133318.522a0ee4 | RHSA-2021:2584 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | ruby:2.5-8040020200923213910.522a0ee4 | RHSA-2021:2587 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | ruby:2.6-8040020210430142949.522a0ee4 | RHSA-2021:2588 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.1 Update Services for SAP Solutions | ruby:2.6-8010020220201152941.c27ad7f8 | RHSA-2022:0581 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 Extended Update Support | ruby:2.6-8020020220201131207.4cda2c84 | RHSA-2022:0582 |
| Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | rh-ruby25-ruby-0:2.5.9-9.el7 | RHSA-2021:2104 |
| Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | rh-ruby27-ruby-0:2.7.3-129.el7 | RHSA-2021:2229 |
| Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | rh-ruby26-ruby-0:2.6.7-119.el7 | RHSA-2021:2230 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-8cr8-4vfw-mr7h in your dependencies?
Find it across RubyGems, including transitive dependencies.