Nokogiri: Possible Use-After-Free when setting `Document#root=` to an invalid node type
Key facts
- Attack vector
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- Privileges required
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- User interaction
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- Attack complexity
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- Impact type
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- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
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- Fix status
- Fixed
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from GitHub.
Summary
### Summary `Nokogiri::XML::Document#root=` validated only that the new root was a `Nokogiri::XML::Node`, allowing a DTD node to be set as the document root. The result is a heap use-after-free during garbage collection or finalization, leading to an invalid memory read or potentially a segfault. Nokogiri 1.19.4 restricts `Document#root=` to element nodes, raising `TypeError` for any other node type. This memory-safety issue affects only the CRuby implementation (libxml2). The JRuby implementation was not affected; the same input validation was added there for behavioral parity. ### Severity The Nokogiri maintainers have evaluated this as low severity. This is only triggered by a programming error. It requires application code to assign a non-element node such as a DTD as the document root via `Document#root=`. Nokogiri 1.19.4 now raises `TypeError` instead of allowing a use-after-free. It cannot be triggered by untrusted input or through normal use of the public API. ### Mitigation Upgrade to Nokogiri 1.19.4 or later. As a workaround, applications that cannot upgrade should avoid assigning a DTD (or any non-element node) via `Document#root=`. ### Credit This issue was responsibly reported by Zheng Yu from depthfirst.com.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | nokogiri (RubyGems) | before 1.19.4 | 1.19.4 | Patch available | GHSA-wjv4-x9w8-wm3h |
- nokogiri (RubyGems) Vendor— Affected before 1.19.4 Fixed in 1.19.4 Patch available GHSA-wjv4-x9w8-wm3h
Remediation
- Fix · GHSA-wjv4-x9w8-wm3h nokogiri (RubyGems) Fixed in 1.19.4 Advisory →
Timeline
- 2026-10-03 Threatist record created from GHSA-wjv4-x9w8-wm3h
References
Sources
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