Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2017-0902

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.

Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.1, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network but requires specific conditions to be met without requiring user interaction and does not require pre-existing privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 9 products from rubygems, from debian, from canonical and 6 others, organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

First disclosed in 2017, this vulnerability was reported during a period defined by widespread IoT adoption challenges, mobile security concerns, and the emergence of advanced persistent threat (APT) techniques. Contemporary mitigation strategies focused on secure development practices and third-party component vetting.

Published

2017-08-31T20:29:00.603

Last Modified

2025-04-20T01:37:25.860

Status

Deferred

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.0: 8.1 (HIGH)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

Access Vector: NETWORK
Access Complexity: MEDIUM
Authentication: NONE
Confidentiality Impact: PARTIAL
Integrity Impact: PARTIAL
Availability Impact: PARTIAL

Exploitability Score

8.6

Impact Score

6.4

Weaknesses

Type: Secondary
CWE-350
Type: Primary
CWE-346

Affected Vendors & Products

Type	Vendor	Product	Version/Range	Vulnerable?
Application	rubygems	rubygems	≤ 2.6.12	Yes
Operating System	debian	debian_linux	8.0	Yes
Operating System	debian	debian_linux	9.0	Yes
Operating System	canonical	ubuntu_linux	14.04	Yes
Operating System	canonical	ubuntu_linux	16.04	Yes
Operating System	canonical	ubuntu_linux	17.10	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_desktop	7.0	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_server	7.0	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_server_aus	7.4	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_server_aus	7.6	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_server_eus	7.4	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_server_eus	7.5	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_server_eus	7.6	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_server_tus	7.4	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_server_tus	7.6	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_workstation	7.0	Yes

References

http://blog.rubygems.org/2017/08/27/2.6.13-released.html Patch, Vendor Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/100586 Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry ([email protected])
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1039249 Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry ([email protected])
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:3485 Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:0378 Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:0583 Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:0585 Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://github.com/rubygems/rubygems/commit/8d91516fb7037ecfb27622f605dc40245e0f8d32 Exploit, Patch, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://hackerone.com/reports/218088 Exploit, Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/07/msg00012.html Mailing List, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201710-01 Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://usn.ubuntu.com/3553-1/ Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://usn.ubuntu.com/3685-1/ Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://www.debian.org/security/2017/dsa-3966 Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://blog.rubygems.org/2017/08/27/2.6.13-released.html Patch, Vendor Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/100586 Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1039249 Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:3485 Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:0378 Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:0583 Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:0585 Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://github.com/rubygems/rubygems/commit/8d91516fb7037ecfb27622f605dc40245e0f8d32 Exploit, Patch, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://hackerone.com/reports/218088 Exploit, Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/07/msg00012.html Mailing List, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201710-01 Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://usn.ubuntu.com/3553-1/ Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://usn.ubuntu.com/3685-1/ Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://www.debian.org/security/2017/dsa-3966 Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For rubygems's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.