CVE-2013-0333
HighPublic exploitactivesupport in Rails vulnerable to incorrect data conversion
Published Oct 24, 2017 · Updated Aug 4, 2026 · Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2013-0333, DSA-2613-1, GHSA-xgr2-v94m-rc9g
Key Facts
Patch immediately- CVE-2013-0333 is a high-severity vulnerability (CVSS 7.5 v2) affecting Rails (Rubyonrails), Ruby On Rails (Rubyonrails), activesupport (rubygems) and 2 more products.
- It is not listed in any known-exploited vulnerabilities catalog. Public exploit code is available.
- EPSS estimates a 96% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- Fixed versions are available, including activesupport 2.3.16, activesupport 3.0.20, katello 0:1.1.12.1-1.el6cf.
- Brandefense priority: patch immediately, because it is very likely to be exploited soon.
CVSS v2
7.5
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
EPSS (30-day exploit likelihood)
96%
Higher than 99.8% of all scored CVEs
Exploited in the wild
No known
Not in a known-exploited catalog
Public exploit code
Available
Proof-of-concept or weaponized module
Get the full CVE-2013-0333 brief as a PDF
Every affected product and fixed release, exploitation status and a first 24 hours response checklist, emailed within minutes.
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 Products
71 affected entries in total| Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| RailsRubyonrails | 2.3.0, 2.3.1, 2.3.10, 2.3.11, 2.3.12, 2.3.13, 2.3.14, 2.3.15 | 2.3.14.1 |
| Ruby On RailsRubyonrails | 3.0.4 | n/a |
| activesupportrubygems | >= 2.3.2 | 3.0.20 |
| katelloredhat | See advisory | 0:1.1.12.1-1.el6cf |
| rubygem-activesupportredhat | See advisory | 1:3.0.10-7.el6cf |
Patched Releases
activesupport
2.3.16, 3.0.20
katello
0:1.1.12.1-1.el6cf
Rails
2.3.14.1, 2.3.5-1.2+squeeze6
rubygem-activesupport
1:3.0.10-7.el6cf
Timeline
Publicly disclosed
Oct 24, 2017
Last updated
Aug 4, 2026
Weakness Type
- CWE-74 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
- CWE-502 Deserialization of Untrusted Data
References
- advisoryGHSA advisory
- advisoryhttps://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2013-0333
- advisoryhttps://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2013-0333
- advisoryhttp://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2013/1/28/Rails-3-0-20-and-2-3-16-have-been-released/
- exploitMSF rails_json_yaml_code_exec.rb
FAQ
Common 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…
Affected: Rails (Rubyonrails) versions 2.3.0, 2.3.1, 2.3.10, 2.3.11, 2.3.12, 2.3.13, 2.3.14, 2.3.15; Ruby On Rails (Rubyonrails) versions 3.0.4; activesupport (rubygems) versions >= 2.3.2, among others. The full list is in the CVE brief.
It is not listed in any known-exploited vulnerabilities catalog.
No, it is not currently listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
Public exploit code is available.
Fixed versions are available, including activesupport 2.3.16, activesupport 3.0.20, katello 0:1.1.12.1-1.el6cf.
Brandefense priority: patch immediately, because it is very likely to be exploited soon.
Is CVE-2013-0333 Running On Your Attack Surface?
Brandefense maps vulnerabilities like this one to your internet-facing assets and tells you exactly where to patch.
Request A Demo