How severe is GHSA-xgr2-v94m-rc9g?

No CVSS score has been assigned to GHSA-xgr2-v94m-rc9g yet. Review the advisory details and affected package list to assess your exposure.

Which packages are affected by GHSA-xgr2-v94m-rc9g?

GHSA-xgr2-v94m-rc9g affects the following packages: activesupport (RubyGems), activesupport (RubyGems). Ecosystems affected: RubyGems.

How do I fix GHSA-xgr2-v94m-rc9g?

Update activesupport to 2.3.16 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-xgr2-v94m-rc9g is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect GHSA-xgr2-v94m-rc9g in my RubyGems dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for activesupport, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate GHSA-xgr2-v94m-rc9g if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Until you can upgrade, make sure every query built from user input uses parameterised statements or a prepared-statement API rather than string concatenation, and reduce the database account's privileges so an injected query cannot read or alter data beyond what the feature needs.

Is GHSA-xgr2-v94m-rc9g actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 3 known exploit references for GHSA-xgr2-v94m-rc9g, including 1 documented proof-of-concept exploit on Exploit-DB and 2 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for GHSA-xgr2-v94m-rc9g?

GHSA-xgr2-v94m-rc9g has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 95.6%, placing it in the 100th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A score above 50% indicates significantly elevated exploitation risk — immediate patching is strongly recommended.

When was GHSA-xgr2-v94m-rc9g published, and has it been updated?

GHSA-xgr2-v94m-rc9g was published on October 24, 2017 and was last updated on November 29, 2024. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

💎 RubyGems

Not in CISA KEV

activesupport in Rails vulnerable to incorrect data conversionGHSA-xgr2-v94m-rc9g

GHSA-xgr2-v94m-rc9g is a remote code execution vulnerability in activesupport. 3 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for activesupport — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Also known asCVE-2013-0333

Published

Oct 24, 2017

Updated

Nov 29, 2024

Affected

2 pkgs

Patched

2 / 2

Exploits

3 known

Exploitation data as of Oct 23, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

95.6%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Very High Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs100th percentile — riskier than 100% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

Real-World Exposure

2 pkgs affected

💎activesupport💎activesupport

Real-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

lib/active_support/json/backends/yaml.rb in Ruby on Rails 2.3.x before 2.3.16 and 3.0.x before 3.0.20 does not properly convert JSON data to YAML data for processing by a YAML parser, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code, conduct SQL injection attacks, or bypass authentication via crafted data that triggers unsafe decoding, a different vulnerability than CVE-2013-0156.

Affected Packages

2 total 2 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
💎RubyGems	`activesupport`	≥ 2.3.2&&< 2.3.16	2.3.16`bundle update activesupport --conservative`
💎RubyGems	`activesupport`	≥ 3.0.0&&< 3.0.20	3.0.20`bundle update activesupport --conservative`

Affected Products

2 products · 57 configurations

Application

railsrubyonrails

31 versions

2.3.02.3.12.3.22.3.32.3.42.3.92.3.102.3.112.3.122.3.132.3.142.3.15

Application

ruby on railsrubyonrails

1 version

3.0.4

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

EDB-24434remotemultiple✓ Verified

Ruby on Rails - JSON Processor YAML Deserialization Code Execution (Metasploit)

by Metasploit · Jan 29, 2013

Exploit-DB Source

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for activesupport, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update activesupport to 2.3.16 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-xgr2-v94m-rc9g is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Until you can upgrade, make sure every query built from user input uses parameterised statements or a prepared-statement API rather than string concatenation, and reduce the database account's privileges so an injected query cannot read or alter data beyond what the feature needs.

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.

Red HatCritical

Product	Fixed in	Advisory
CloudForms for RHEL 6	`katello-0:1.1.12.1-1.el6cf`	RHSA-2013:0203
Red Hat Subscription Asset Manager 1.1	`rubygem-activesupport-1:3.0.10-7.el6cf`	RHSA-2013:0201
RHEL 6 Version of OpenShift Enterprise	`rubygem-activesupport-1:3.0.13-4.el6op`	RHSA-2013:0202

Frequently Asked Questions

`lib/active_support/json/backends/yaml.rb` in Ruby on Rails 2.3.x before 2.3.16 and 3.0.x before 3.0.20 does not properly convert JSON data to YAML data for processing by a YAML parser, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code, conduct SQL injection attacks, or bypass authentication via crafted data that triggers unsafe decoding, a different vulnerability than CVE-2013-0156.

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

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