CVE-2011-2932: XSS
An XSS vulnerability in the escaping code used by Ruby on Rails was reported [1] where, using a specially crafted malformed unicode string, an attacker can bypass the escaping code. Due to a bug in the Ruby 1.8 regular expression code, the Ruby on Rails replacement for ERB::Util.h will fail to escape certain malformed unicode strings, which could then be interpreted as HTML by some browsers. This is corrected in upstream 3.0.10, 2.3.13, and 3.1.0rc5 versions and only affects platforms using Ruby 1.8.x (Ruby 1.9.x renders this ineffective).
Patches are available in the advisory [1] and in git [2].
[1] http://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-security/browsethread/thread/56bffb5923ab1195 [2] https://github.com/rails/rails/commit/bfc432574d0b141fd7fe759edfe9b6771dd306bd
Other sources
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in activesupport/lib/activesupport/coreext/string/outputsafety.rb in Ruby on Rails 2.x before 2.3.13, 3.0.x before 3.0.10, and 3.1.x before 3.1.0.rc5 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a malformed Unicode string, related to a "UTF-8 escaping vulnerability."
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in activesupport/lib/activesupport/coreext/string/outputsafety.rb in Ruby on Rails 2.x before 2.3.13, 3.0.x before 3.0.10, and 3.1.x before 3.1.0.rc5 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a malformed Unicode string, related to a "UTF-8 escaping vulnerability."
— MITRE
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2011-2932?
CVE-2011-2932 has a medium severity level due to its potential for cross-site scripting exploitation.
How do I fix CVE-2011-2932?
To fix CVE-2011-2932, upgrade to activesupport versions 3.0.10 or 2.3.13 or later.
What applications are affected by CVE-2011-2932?
CVE-2011-2932 affects Ruby on Rails versions prior to 3.0.10 and 2.3.13.
Can CVE-2011-2932 lead to data breaches?
Yes, CVE-2011-2932 can allow attackers to execute malicious scripts, potentially leading to data breaches.
What kind of attack can CVE-2011-2932 facilitate?
CVE-2011-2932 can facilitate cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks against vulnerable applications.