CVE-2026-54905 — concurrent-ruby: `ReentrantReadWriteLock` read-count overflow grants a write lock without exclusivity
concurrent-ruby is a modern concurrency tools for Ruby. Prior to 1.3.7, Concurrent::ReentrantReadWriteLock can incorrectly grant a write lock after one thread acquires the read lock 32,768 times. The lock stores a thread's local read and write hold counts in one integer. The low 15 bits are used for the read hold count, and bit 15 is used as WRITE_LOCK_HELD. After 32,768 reentrant read acquisitions, the local read count crosses into the write-lock bit. try_write_lock then treats the thread as already holding a write lock and returns true without setting the global RUNNING_WRITER bit. This breaks the core mutual-exclusion guarantee: the caller is told it has a write lock, but other threads can still hold or acquire read locks at the same time. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.3.7.
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 0.2% (30-day exploitation probability)+1
- Technical severity (medium)+3
- CISA SSVC: exploitation "poc"+5
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.
No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.
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 (Rubyconcurrency Concurrent Ruby).
- No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
- Search available logs for exploit probes, errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rubyconcurrency | Concurrent Ruby | < 1.3.7 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Rubyconcurrency | Concurrent Ruby | version < 1.3.7 | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0 | CVSS 4.0 | Low | — | — | security-advisories@github.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 2.0 | CVSS 4.0 | Low | — | — | GitHub_M via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| 5.5 | CVSS 3.1 | Medium | 1.8 | 3.6 | nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
EPSS over time FIRST
Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 0.15%
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Local/physical vector: focus on endpoint telemetry (EDR) from affected hosts.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · ruby-concurrency/concurrent-ruby
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- CVSS changed · 5.5
- Source status changed · → Analyzed
- Record created in this database
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
References
1 on the record
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- High CVE-2026-54904 concurrent-ruby: `AtomicReference#update` livelocks when the stored value is `Float::NAN` Jun 24, 2026
- Critical CVE-2026-54906 concurrent-ruby ReadWriteLock: write lock release without ownership check Jun 24, 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 fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
- 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-2026-54905 is "concurrent-ruby: `ReentrantReadWriteLock` read-count overflow grants a write lock without exclusivity", rated Medium. It affects Concurrent Ruby (Rubyconcurrency); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 5.5 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.15% 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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