GHSA-hq7p-j377-6v63
HIGHSQL Injection Vulnerability via ActiveRecord comments
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
activerecord💎activerecord💎activerecordReal-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
There is a possible vulnerability in ActiveRecord related to the sanitization of comments. This vulnerability has been assigned the CVE identifier CVE-2023-22794.
Versions Affected: >= 6.0.0 Not affected: < 6.0.0 Fixed Versions: 6.0.6.1, 6.1.7.1, 7.0.4.1 Impact
Previously the implementation of escaping for comments was insufficient for
If malicious user input is passed to either the annotate query method, the optimizer_hints query method, or through the QueryLogs interface which automatically adds annotations, it may be sent to the database with insufficient sanitization and be able to inject SQL outside of the comment.
In most cases these interfaces won’t be used with user input and users should avoid doing so.
Example vulnerable code:
Post.where(id: 1).annotate("#{params[:user_input]}")
Post.where(id: 1).optimizer_hints("#{params[:user_input]}")
Example vulnerable QueryLogs configuration (the default configuration is not vulnerable):
config.active_record.query_log_tags = [
{
something: -> { <some value including user input> }
}
]
All users running an affected release should either upgrade or use one of the workarounds immediately. Releases
The FIXED releases are available at the normal locations. Workarounds
Avoid passing user input to annotate and avoid using QueryLogs configuration which can include user input. Patches
To aid users who aren’t able to upgrade immediately we have provided patches for the two supported release series. They are in git-am format and consist of a single changeset.
6-0-Make-sanitize_as_sql_comment-more-strict.patch - Patch for 6.0 series
6-1-Make-sanitize_as_sql_comment-more-strict.patch - Patch for 6.1 series
7-0-Make-sanitize_as_sql_comment-more-strict.patch - Patch for 7.0 series
Please note that only the 7.0.Z and 6.1.Z series are supported at present, and 6.0.Z for severe vulnerabilities. Users of earlier unsupported releases are advised to upgrade as soon as possible as we cannot guarantee the continued availability of security fixes for unsupported releases.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 💎RubyGems | activerecord | ≥ 6.0.0&&< 6.0.6.1 | 6.0.6.1 |
| 💎RubyGems | activerecord | ≥ 6.1.0&&< 6.1.7.1 | 6.1.7.1 |
| 💎RubyGems | activerecord | ≥ 7.0.0&&< 7.0.4.1 | 7.0.4.1 |
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 activerecord. 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 activerecord to 6.0.6.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-hq7p-j377-6v63 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-hq7p-j377-6v63 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-hq7p-j377-6v63. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-hq7p-j377-6v63 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-hq7p-j377-6v63 across RubyGems dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.