actionpack is vulnerable to remote bypass authentication

Description

The http_basic_authenticate_with method in actionpack/lib/action_controller/metal/http_authentication.rb in the Basic Authentication implementation in Action Controller in Ruby on Rails before 3.2.22.1, 4.0.x and 4.1.x before 4.1.14.1, 4.2.x before 4.2.5.1, and 5.x before 5.0.0.beta1.1 does not use a constant-time algorithm for verifying credentials, which makes it easier for remote attackers to bypass authentication by measuring timing differences.

Basic information

Type
reviewed
Severity
low
Advisory on GitHub
Open advisory ↗
Repository advisory
Source code
Browse source ↗
Published (advisory)
2017-10-24 18:33:36 UTC
Updated
2023-11-10 05:00:48 UTC
GitHub reviewed
2020-06-16 21:48:14 UTC
NVD published
2016-02-15

EPSS Score

Score Percentile
1.57% 81.51%

CVSS Scores

Base score Version Severity Vector
3.7 3.0
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:L)
Some sensitive info could get out, but not a total data dump.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:N)
Service keeps running; no real outage angle.

Identifiers

Credits

  • ShayAry (analyst)

Affected packages (2)

Vulnerable version ranges and first patched releases as published by GitHub.

Ecosystem Package Vulnerable range First patched Vulnerable functions
rubygems actionpack >= 3.1.0, <= 3.2.22.0 3.2.22.1
rubygems actionpack >= 4.0.0, <= 4.1.14.0 4.1.14.1

References

cvelogic Threat Intelligence