CVE-2014-7819 in Sprockets
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple directory traversal vulnerabilities in server.rb in Sprockets before 2.0.5, 2.1.x before 2.1.4, 2.2.x before 2.2.3, 2.3.x before 2.3.3, 2.4.x before 2.4.6, 2.5.x before 2.5.1, 2.6.x and 2.7.x before 2.7.1, 2.8.x before 2.8.3, 2.9.x before 2.9.4, 2.10.x before 2.10.2, 2.11.x before 2.11.3, 2.12.x before 2.12.3, and 3.x before 3.0.0.beta.3, as distributed with Ruby on Rails 3.x and 4.x, allow remote attackers to determine the existence of files outside the application root via a ../ (dot dot slash) sequence with (1) double slashes or (2) URL encoding.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/12/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7819 represents a critical directory traversal flaw in the Sprockets asset pipeline component that was widely distributed with Ruby on Rails applications across multiple versions. This vulnerability specifically affects server.rb within Sprockets, creating a pathway for remote attackers to access files outside the intended application root directory. The flaw manifests through the manipulation of directory traversal sequences using the ../ (dot dot slash) notation, which allows unauthorized access to sensitive files that should remain protected within the application's designated boundaries.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and path sanitization within the Sprockets asset handling mechanism. When processing requests for assets, the system fails to properly validate or sanitize user-supplied paths that contain directory traversal sequences. This weakness enables attackers to craft malicious requests that exploit the application's asset pipeline to access files outside the expected document root. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects multiple version ranges across the Sprockets 2.x and 3.x series, indicating a widespread issue that impacted numerous Ruby on Rails applications during the affected periods.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-7819 extends beyond simple file enumeration to potentially expose sensitive system information including configuration files, database credentials, source code, and other confidential data. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to determine the existence of files outside the application root, which serves as a reconnaissance step for more sophisticated attacks. The vulnerability's effectiveness is amplified when combined with other exploitation techniques, as it provides attackers with knowledge of the underlying file system structure and potentially reveals sensitive information that could be used for privilege escalation or further system compromise. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-22, which describes improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory, commonly known as path traversal or directory traversal attacks.
The exploitation techniques for this vulnerability demonstrate the complexity of modern web application security issues, as attackers can utilize both double slashes and URL encoding to bypass basic input validation mechanisms. This dual exploitation method increases the attack surface and makes the vulnerability more difficult to detect through simple network monitoring or basic security scanning tools. The vulnerability's presence in multiple version ranges of Sprockets indicates that organizations running affected versions of Ruby on Rails were at risk, as the flaw was not limited to a single release but persisted across several major version series.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigation strategies including updating to patched versions of Sprockets, implementing proper input validation at application level, and configuring web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious path traversal patterns. The remediation process should also include comprehensive security audits of application configurations to ensure that no other components might be vulnerable to similar attacks. Security teams should also consider implementing file system access controls and monitoring mechanisms to detect unauthorized file access attempts, which aligns with ATT&CK technique T1083 for discovering file and directory permissions. Additionally, organizations should review their asset pipeline configurations and ensure that proper sandboxing mechanisms are in place to prevent unauthorized access to system resources.
The vulnerability serves as a critical reminder of the importance of proper input validation and secure coding practices in web application development. It demonstrates how seemingly simple components like asset pipeline handlers can introduce significant security risks when not properly secured against malicious input. This type of vulnerability highlights the need for comprehensive security testing including penetration testing and vulnerability scanning to identify potential path traversal issues before they can be exploited by malicious actors. Organizations should also maintain current knowledge of security advisories and promptly apply security patches to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities in their application stacks.