CVE-2017-16516: High severity yajl-ruby vulnerability

Published Nov 3, 2017
·
Updated

In the yajl-ruby gem 1.3.0 for Ruby, when a crafted JSON file is supplied to Yajl::Parser.new.parse, the whole ruby process crashes with a SIGABRT in the yajlstringdecode function in yajlencode.c. This results in the whole ruby process terminating and potentially a denial of service.

Other sources

In the yajl-ruby gem 1.3.0 for Ruby, when a crafted JSON file is supplied to Yajl::Parser.new.parse, the whole ruby process crashes with a SIGABRT in the yajlstringdecode function in yajlencode.c. This results in the whole ruby process terminating and potentially a denial of service.

Affected Software

17 affected componentsFixes available
rubygems/yajl-ruby<1.3.1
1.3.1
ubuntu/ruby-yajl<1.2.0-3.1
1.2.0-3.1
ubuntu/yajl<2.1.0-3+
2.1.0-3+
ubuntu/yajl<2.0.4-4ubuntu0.1~
2.0.4-4ubuntu0.1~
ubuntu/yajl<2.1.0-3ubuntu0.22.04.1
2.1.0-3ubuntu0.22.04.1
ubuntu/yajl<2.1.0-2ubuntu0.16.04.1~
2.1.0-2ubuntu0.16.04.1~
ubuntu/yajl<2.1.0-2ubuntu0.18.04.1~
2.1.0-2ubuntu0.18.04.1~
ubuntu/yajl<2.1.0-3ubuntu0.20.04.1
2.1.0-3ubuntu0.20.04.1
ubuntu/yajl<2.1.0-3ubuntu0.23.04.1
2.1.0-3ubuntu0.23.04.1
debian/burp<=2.1.32-2, <=2.2.18-8, <=3.1.4-1, <=3.1.4-3.1
2.1.32-2+deb10u1
debian/epics-base<=7.0.3.1-4, <=7.0.8+dfsg1-1
debian/r-cran-jsonlite<=1.6+dfsg-1, <=1.7.2+dfsg-1, <=1.8.4+dfsg-1
1.8.8+dfsg-1
debian/ruby-yajl
1.3.1-11.4.1-11.4.3-1
debian/xqilla
2.3.4-1
debian/yajl<=2.1.0-3
2.1.0-3+deb10u22.1.0-3+deb11u22.1.0-3+deb12u22.1.0-5
Yajl-ruby Project Yajl-ruby Ruby=1.3.0
Debian Debian Linux=7.0

Event History

Nov 3, 2017
CVE Published
via MITRE·12:00 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·12:00 AM
Description
Nov 28, 2017
Advisory Published
10:44 PM
Jan 11, 2024
Data Sourced
via Launchpad·10:31 PM
Description

Parent advisories

This vulnerability appears in the following advisories.

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2017-16516?

CVE-2017-16516 has a severity rating that can lead to denial of service due to process crashes.

2

How do I fix CVE-2017-16516?

To mitigate CVE-2017-16516, upgrade the yajl-ruby gem to version 1.3.1 or later.

3

Which versions of yajl-ruby are affected by CVE-2017-16516?

CVE-2017-16516 affects version 1.3.0 of the yajl-ruby gem.

4

What is the impact of CVE-2017-16516 on applications?

CVE-2017-16516 can cause applications using the affected yajl-ruby gem to crash unexpectedly.

5

Is there a workaround for CVE-2017-16516 until I can upgrade?

There isn’t a specific workaround for CVE-2017-16516; the best approach is to upgrade to a safe version.

Contact

SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
132 Wickham Terrace
Fortitude Valley,
QLD 4006, Australia
info@secalerts.co
By using SecAlerts services, you agree to our services end-user license agreement. This website is safeguarded by reCAPTCHA and governed by the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. All names, logos, and brands of products are owned by their respective owners, and any usage of these names, logos, and brands for identification purposes only does not imply endorsement. If you possess any content that requires removal, please get in touch with us.
© 2026 SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
ABN: 70 645 966 203, ACN: 645 966 203