CVE-2023-22792 — ReDoS based DoS vulnerability in Action Dispatch
A regular expression based DoS vulnerability in Action Dispatch <6.0.6.1,< 6.1.7.1, and <7.0.4.1. Specially crafted cookies, in combination with a specially crafted X_FORWARDED_HOST header can cause the regular expression engine to enter a state of catastrophic backtracking. This can cause the process to use large amounts of CPU and memory, leading to a possible DoS vulnerability All users running an affected release should either upgrade or use one of the workarounds immediately.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- EPSS 1.7% (30-day exploitation probability)+12
- Technical severity (high)+6
- Automatable exploitation (SSVC)+3
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
CISA SSVC assessment CISA
Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
- Documented patch — discuss.rubyonrails.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Rubygems Actionpack: fixed in version 5.2.8.15 — github.com (GitHub Security Advisories)
- Rubygems Actionpack: fixed in version 7.0.4.1 — github.com (GitHub Security Advisories)
- Rubygems Actionpack: fixed in version 6.1.7.1 — github.com (GitHub Security Advisories)
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Rubyonrails Rails, Rubygems Actionpack).
- The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
- Apply the fixed version or the patch documented under Remediation.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (denial of service), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rubyonrails | Rails | ≥ 3.0.0 and < 6.0.6.1≥ 6.1.0 and < 6.1.7.1≥ 7.0.0 and < 7.0.4.1 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Rubygems | Actionpack | ≥ 3.0.0 and < 5.2.8.15≥ 7.0.0 and < 7.0.4.1≥ 6.0.0 and < 6.1.7.1 | Vulnerable | GitHub Security Advisories |
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.5 | CVSS 3.1 | High | 3.9 | 3.6 | nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 7.5 | CVSS 3.1 | High | 3.9 | 3.6 | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 7.5 | CVSS 3.1 | High | — | — | CISA-ADP via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
CWE-1333 · Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity (ReDoS)
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
- Track CPU/memory spikes and availability drops correlated with request patterns.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Fix documented
- Affected products added · rubygems/actionpack
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- Fix documented
- Affected products added · rubyonrails/rails
- CVSS changed · 7.5
- Source status changed · → Modified
- Record created in this database
- 2023
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 2× References added · Oct 24, 2026 – Oct 24, 2026
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 24, 2026 – Oct 24, 2026
References
9 on the record
- discuss.rubyonrails.org/t/cve-2023-22792-possible-redos-based-dos-vulnerability-in-action-dis
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-22792
- security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240202-0007
- github.com/rails/rails/releases/tag/v7.0.4.1
- rubyonrails.org/2023/1/17/Rails-Versions-6-0-6-1-6-1-7-1-7-0-4-1-have-been-released
- github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/actionpack/CVE-2023-22792.y
- security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240202-0007/
- github.com/advisories/GHSA-p84v-45xj-wwqj
- www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5372
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- Medium CVE-2026-33658 Rails Active Storage has a possible DoS vulnerability in proxy mode via multi-range requests Mar 26, 2026
- Critical CVE-2026-33202 Rails Active Storage has possible glob injection in its DiskService Mar 23, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-33169 Rails Active Support has a possible ReDoS vulnerability in number_to_delimited Mar 23, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-33170 Rails Active Support has a possible XSS vulnerability in SafeBuffer#% Mar 23, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-33173 Rails Active Storage has possible content type bypass via metadata in direct uploads Mar 23, 2026
- High CVE-2026-33174 Rails Active Storage has a possible DoS vulnerability when in proxy mode via Range requests Mar 23, 2026
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2023-22792 is "ReDoS based DoS vulnerability in Action Dispatch", rated High. It affects Rails (Rubyonrails); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 7.5 describes technical severity. EPSS 1.70% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
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