CVE-2017-0902: High severity Rubygems RubyGems vulnerability

Published Aug 31, 2017
·
Updated

Last updated 11 July 2025

Other sources

RubyGems version 2.6.12 and earlier is vulnerable to a DNS hijacking vulnerability that allows a MITM attacker to force the RubyGems client to download and install gems from a server that the attacker controls.

Upstream patches:

https://github.com/rubygems/rubygems/commit/8d91516fb7037ecfb27622f605dc40245e0f8d32

Bug report:

https://hackerone.com/reports/218088

External References:

http://blog.rubygems.org/2017/08/27/2.6.13-released.html

— Red Hat

Affected Software

45 affected componentsFixes available
redhat/rubygems<2.6.13
2.6.13
redhat/ruby<2.4.2
2.4.2
redhat/ruby<2.2.8
2.2.8
redhat/ruby<2.3.5
2.3.5
Rubygems RubyGems<=2.6.12
Debian Debian Linux=8.0
Debian Debian Linux=9.0
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=14.04
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=16.04
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=17.10
redhat Enterprise Linux Desktop=7.0
redhat Enterprise Linux Server=7.0
redhat Enterprise Linux Server Aus=7.4
redhat Enterprise Linux Server Aus=7.6
redhat Enterprise Linux Server Eus=7.4
redhat Enterprise Linux Server Eus=7.5
redhat Enterprise Linux Server Eus=7.6
redhat Enterprise Linux Server Tus=7.4
redhat Enterprise Linux Server Tus=7.6
redhat Enterprise Linux Workstation=7.0
debian/rubygems
3.2.5-23.2.5-2+deb11u13.3.15-2+deb12u13.6.7-2
alpine/ruby<2.4.2-r0
2.4.2-r0
alpine/ruby<2.4.2-r0
2.4.2-r0
alpine/ruby<2.4.2-r0
2.4.2-r0
alpine/ruby<2.4.2-r0
2.4.2-r0
alpine/ruby<2.4.2-r0
2.4.2-r0
alpine/ruby<2.4.2-r0
2.4.2-r0
alpine/ruby<2.4.2-r0
2.4.2-r0
alpine/ruby<2.4.2-r0
2.4.2-r0
alpine/ruby<2.4.2-r0
2.4.2-r0
alpine/ruby<2.4.2-r0
2.4.2-r0
alpine/ruby<2.4.2-r0
2.4.2-r0
alpine/ruby<2.4.2-r0
2.4.2-r0
alpine/ruby<2.4.2-r0
2.4.2-r0
alpine/ruby<2.4.2-r0
2.4.2-r0
alpine/ruby<2.4.2-r0
2.4.2-r0
alpine/ruby<2.2.8-r0
2.2.8-r0
alpine/ruby<2.3.5-r0
2.3.5-r0
alpine/ruby<2.3.5-r0
2.3.5-r0
alpine/ruby<2.4.2-r0
2.4.2-r0
alpine/ruby<2.4.2-r0
2.4.2-r0
alpine/ruby<2.4.2-r0
2.4.2-r0
alpine/ruby<2.4.2-r0
2.4.2-r0
alpine/ruby2.2<2.2.8-r0
2.2.8-r0
alpine/ruby2.2<2.2.8-r0
2.2.8-r0

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade redhat/rubygems to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 2.6.13
  2. Upgrade

    Upgrade redhat/ruby to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 2.4.2
  3. Upgrade

    Upgrade redhat/ruby to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 2.2.8
  4. Upgrade

    Upgrade redhat/ruby to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 2.3.5
  5. Upgrade

    Upgrade debian/rubygems to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 3.2.5-2Fixed in 3.2.5-2+deb11u1Fixed in 3.3.15-2+deb12u1Fixed in 3.6.7-2
  6. Upgrade

    Upgrade alpine/ruby to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 2.4.2-r0
  7. Upgrade

    Upgrade alpine/ruby to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 2.2.8-r0
  8. Upgrade

    Upgrade alpine/ruby to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 2.3.5-r0
  9. Upgrade

    Upgrade alpine/ruby2.2 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 2.2.8-r0
  10. Upgrade

    Upgrade RubyGems to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 2.6.13

Event History

Aug 31, 2017
CVE Published
via MITRE·08:00 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·08:00 PM
DescriptionWeakness
Data Sourced
via NVD·08:29 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
Data Sourced
via OSV·08:29 PM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is CVE-2017-0902?

CVE-2017-0902 is a DNS hijacking vulnerability in RubyGems version 2.6.12 and earlier.

2

How does CVE-2017-0902 work?

CVE-2017-0902 allows a MITM attacker to force the RubyGems client to download and install gems from a server that the attacker controls.

3

What is the severity of CVE-2017-0902?

CVE-2017-0902 has a severity score of 8.1 (high).

4

Which software versions are affected by CVE-2017-0902?

RubyGems version 2.6.12 and earlier are affected by CVE-2017-0902.

5

How do I fix CVE-2017-0902?

To fix CVE-2017-0902, upgrade to RubyGems version 2.6.13 or later.

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