Description
Ruby 1.8.5 and earlier, 1.8.6 through 1.8.6-p286, 1.8.7 through 1.8.7-p71, and 1.9 through r18423 does not properly restrict access to critical variables and methods at various safe levels, which allows context-dependent attackers to bypass intended access restrictions via (1) untrace_var, (2) $PROGRAM_NAME, and (3) syslog at safe level 4, and (4) insecure methods at safe levels 1 through 3.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 4.0 | ruby1.8 | 1.8.5-4etch3 | DSA-1651-1 |
| Debian 4.0 | ruby1.9 | 1.9.0+20060609-1etch3 | DSA-1652-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 5 | ruby +8 | 1.8.5-5.el5_2.5 | RHSA-2008:0897 |
| RHEL 4 | irb +6 | 1.8.1-7.el4_7.1 | RHSA-2008:0897 |
| RHEL 3 | irb +6 | 1.6.8-13.el3 | RHSA-2008:0896 |
| RHEL 2 | irb +5 | 1.6.4-7.el2 | RHSA-2008:0895 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Hardened Images 1 | ruby3.3 +5 | 3.3.10-23.1.hum1 | RHSA-2026:7305 |
| Red Hat Hardened Images 1 | ruby3.4 +5 | 3.4.8-31.1.hum1 | RHSA-2026:7307 |
| Red Hat Hardened Images 1 | ruby4.0 +5 | 4.0.0-33.3.hum1 | RHSA-2026:8838 |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
Exploit-DB 2
- Ruby 1.9 dl - Module DL.dlopen Arbitrary Library Access EDB-32223 · remote · Aug 11, 2008 · verified
- Ruby 1.9 - Safe Level Multiple Function Restriction Bypass EDB-32224 · remote · Aug 11, 2008 · verified
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 8
- RHSA-2026:7305 Red Hat Security Advisory: Red Hat Hardened Images RPMs bug fix and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Oct 6, 2026
- RHSA-2026:8838 Red Hat Security Advisory: Red Hat Hardened Images RPMs bug fix and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Oct 6, 2026
- RHSA-2026:7307 Red Hat Security Advisory: Red Hat Hardened Images RPMs bug fix and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Oct 6, 2026
- RHSA-2008:0897 Red Hat Security Advisory: ruby security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- RHSA-2008:0896 Red Hat Security Advisory: ruby security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- RHSA-2008:0895 Red Hat Security Advisory: ruby security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · May 19, 2026
- DSA-1652-1 ruby1.9 - several vulnerabilities Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DSA-1651-1 ruby1.8 - several vulnerabilities Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- 31430 third-party-advisory
- 1020656 vdb-entry
- 31697 third-party-advisory
- USN-651-1 vendor-advisory
- http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3549
- http://wiki.rpath.com/wiki/Advisories:rPSA-2008-0264
- DSA-1652 vendor-advisory
- FEDORA-2008-8736 vendor-advisory
- oval:org.mitre.oval:def:11602 vdb-entry signature
- 35074 third-party-advisory
- http://support.avaya.com/elmodocs2/security/ASA-2008-424.htm
- DSA-1651 vendor-advisory
- ruby-safelevel-security-bypass(44369) vdb-entry
- APPLE-SA-2009-05-12 vendor-advisory
- RHSA-2008:0895 vendor-advisory
- 30644 vdb-entry
- RHSA-2008:0897 vendor-advisory
- http://www.ruby-lang.org/en/news/2008/08/08/multiple-vulnerabilities-in-ruby/
- 32219 third-party-advisory
- TA09-133A third-party-advisory
- 32255 third-party-advisory
- ADV-2009-1297 vdb-entry
- 20080831 rPSA-2008-0264-1 ruby mailing-list
- 32371 third-party-advisory
- 32165 third-party-advisory
- GLSA-200812-17 vendor-advisory
- 33178 third-party-advisory
- ADV-2008-2334 vdb-entry
- 32372 third-party-advisory
- FEDORA-2008-8738 vendor-advisory
- http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=494401
- 32256 third-party-advisory