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TI-2022-11719 Aliases CVE-2022-29176

Unauthorized gem takeover for some gems on rubygems.org

Priority MEDIUM 47CWE-862Published · Updated

Key facts

Attack vector
Network
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low
Impact type
Security bypass
Confidentiality · integrity · availability
High · High · High
Fix status
No fix listed

Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-862.

Summary

Rubygems is a package registry used to supply software for the Ruby language ecosystem. Due to a bug in the yank action, it was possible for any RubyGems.org user to remove and replace certain gems even if that user was not authorized to do so. To be vulnerable, a gem needed: one or more dashes in its name creation within 30 days OR no updates for over 100 days At present, we believe this vulnerability has not been exploited. RubyGems.org sends an email to all gem owners when a gem version is published or yanked. We have not received any support emails from gem owners indicating that their gem has been yanked without authorization. An audit of gem changes for the last 18 months did not find any examples of this vulnerability being used in a malicious way. A deeper audit for any possible use of this exploit is ongoing, and we will update this advisory once it is complete. Using Bundler in --frozen or --deployment mode in CI and during deploys, as the Bundler team has always recommended, will guarantee that your application does not silently switch to versions created using this exploit. To audit your application history for possible past exploits, review your Gemfile.lock and look for gems whose platform changed when the version number did not change. For example, gemname-3.1.2 updating to gemname-3.1.2-java could indicate a possible abuse of this vulnerability. RubyGems.org has been patched and is no longer vulnerable to this issue as of the 5th of May 2022.

Why it matters now

Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.01938 80th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix No fix listed No fixed version in the sources yet

SSVC decision points

CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3

Exploitation
None
Automatable
No
Technical impact
Total

The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.

Affected products

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed inStatusSource
rubygemsrubygems.orgall versions—No fix listedCNA
  • rubygems.org Vendorrubygems Affected all versions Fixed in — No fix listed CNA

CPE configurations NVD · 1

CPEVersionsRoleVendor
cpe:2.3:a:rubygems:rubygems.org:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*not specified by NVDVulnerablerubygems
  • cpe:2.3:a:rubygems:rubygems.org:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions not specified by NVD Vulnerable ·rubygems

Remediation

No fixed version listed by the sources yet.

Timeline

  1. 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2022-29176

References

  • TI-2022-11761 Unauthorized takeover for new versions of some platform-specific gems CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.7
  • TI-2024-14379 rubygems.org MFA Bypass through password reset function could allow account takeover CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
  • TI-2023-21039 Unauthorized gem replacement for full names ending in numbers on rubygems.org CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5

Sources

This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences