CVE-2015-1828 in http gem
Summary
by MITRE
The Ruby http gem before 0.7.3 does not verify hostnames in SSL connections, which might allow remote attackers to obtain sensitive information via a man-in-the-middle-attack.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/22/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-1828 affects the Ruby http gem version 0.7.2 and earlier, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of SSL/TLS connections. This issue stems from the gem's failure to properly validate hostnames during SSL handshakes, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to conduct man-in-the-middle attacks. The vulnerability directly impacts the certificate verification process, which is fundamental to establishing secure communications over the internet. When applications use this vulnerable gem to make HTTPS requests, they become susceptible to attacks where malicious actors can intercept and manipulate data transmission between clients and servers.
The technical flaw manifests in the gem's implementation of SSL certificate validation, specifically in how it handles hostname checking during the SSL handshake process. According to CWE-295, this represents a weakness in certificate validation mechanisms where the software fails to properly verify that the SSL certificate presented by the server matches the host to which the client is attempting to connect. The vulnerability allows attackers to present a valid SSL certificate for any domain, including maliciously crafted certificates, without the client detecting the mismatch. This weakness enables attackers to perform SSL stripping attacks or present fake certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. The flaw essentially bypasses the core security principle of certificate pinning and hostname verification that SSL/TLS protocols are designed to enforce.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses severe risks to applications that rely on the Ruby http gem for secure communications, particularly those handling sensitive data such as authentication credentials, personal information, or financial transactions. The impact extends beyond simple data interception to potentially enabling complete session hijacking, credential theft, and data manipulation. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to establish transparent proxy connections that allow them to monitor, modify, or redirect traffic without detection. The vulnerability affects not just individual applications but entire ecosystems that depend on the http gem, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where multiple services might be vulnerable. Organizations using this gem in production systems face the risk of data breaches, regulatory compliance violations, and significant reputational damage if their applications are compromised through this attack vector.
The mitigation strategy for CVE-2015-1828 requires immediate patching of the Ruby http gem to version 0.7.3 or later, which includes proper hostname verification functionality. Organizations should also implement additional security measures such as certificate pinning, where applications explicitly trust specific certificate fingerprints rather than relying solely on certificate authorities. Network-level protections including SSL inspection and monitoring for suspicious certificate behavior can help detect exploitation attempts. According to ATT&CK framework technique T1041, this vulnerability aligns with command and control communication patterns where adversaries establish persistent access through compromised SSL connections. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all systems using the vulnerable gem and ensure proper certificate validation is implemented across all SSL/TLS communications. Regular security updates and patch management processes should be strengthened to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in the future.