MEDIUM CVSS 6.1
Published: 2022-12-14

CVE-2022-23520

rubyonrails rails_html_sanitizers Security Advisory (CVE-2022-23520)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2022-23520 impacting rubyonrails rails_html_sanitizers. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 6.1 (MEDIUM).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
rails-html-sanitizer is responsible for sanitizing HTML fragments in Rails applications. Prior to version 1.4.4, there is a possible XSS vulnerability with certain configurations of Rails::Html::Sanitizer due to an incomplete fix of CVE-2022-32209. Rails::Html::Sanitizer may allow an attacker to inject content if the application developer has overridden the sanitizer's allowed tags to allow both "select" and "style" elements. Code is only impacted if allowed tags are being overridden. This issue is patched in version 1.4.4. All users overriding the allowed tags to include both "select" and "style" should either upgrade or use this workaround: Remove either "select" or "style" from the overridden allowed tags. NOTE: Code is _not_ impacted if allowed tags are overridden using either the :tags option to the Action View helper method sanitize or the :tags option to the instance method SafeListSanitizer#sanitize.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network (AV:N)
Exploitable remotely across internet boundaries
Attack Complexity
Low (AC:L)
No specialized conditions required
Privileges Required
None (PR:N)
Unauthenticated execution
User Interaction
Required (UI:R)
User must click or open resource
Scope
Changed (S:C)
Impacts components beyond caller authority
Confidentiality
Low (C:L)
Partial information leakage
Integrity
Low (I:L)
Partial data modification possible
Availability
None (A:N)
No system availability impact

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product rubyonrails / rails_html_sanitizers
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration CWE-79

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2022-23520 impacting rubyonrails rails_html_sanitizers.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2022-23520.yaml
id: cve-2022-23520

info:
  name: rubyonrails rails_html_sanitizers - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: medium
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2022-23520 affecting rubyonrails rails_html_sanitizers.
    Evaluation: rails-html-sanitizer is responsible for sanitizing HTML fragments in Rails applications. Prior to version 1.4.4, there is a possible XSS vulnerability...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2022-23520
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
    cvss-score: 6.1
    cve-id: CVE-2022-23520
    cwe-id: CWE-79
  tags: cve,cve-2022-23520,rubyonrails,rails_html_sanitizers,medium

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "rails_html_sanitizers"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2022-23520.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2022-23520
# Target: rubyonrails rails_html_sanitizers | CVSS: 6.1 (MEDIUM)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2022-23520 (rubyonrails rails_html_sanitizers)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against rubyonrails rails_html_sanitizers scope (*).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
🛡️ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2022-23520.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2022-23520
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install rails_html_sanitizers 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade rails_html_sanitizers 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update rails_html_sanitizers

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i rails_html_sanitizers 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i rails_html_sanitizers

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

🛡️ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2022-23520 in rubyonrails rails_html_sanitizers?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update rubyonrails rails_html_sanitizers packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2022-23520?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2022-23520?

CVE-2022-23520 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 6.1 (MEDIUM). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
6.1
MEDIUM SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2022-23520
Weakness CWE-79
Vendor rubyonrails
Product rails_html_sanitizers
Published 2022-12-14
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N