Description
In agent/Core/SpawningKit/Spawner.h in Phusion Passenger 5.1.10 (fixed in Passenger Open Source 5.1.11 and Passenger Enterprise 5.1.10), if Passenger is running as root, it is possible to list the contents of arbitrary files on a system by symlinking a file named REVISION from the application root folder to a file of choice and querying passenger-status --show=xml.
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 14 | passenger | 5.0.30-1.1 | — |
| Debian 13 | passenger | 5.0.30-1.1 | — |
| Debian 12 | passenger | 5.0.30-1.1 | — |
| Debian 9 | passenger | 5.0.30-1+deb9u1 | DSA-4415-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | passenger | 5.0.30-1+deb9u1build0.18.04.1 | — |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | passenger | 5.0.27-2ubuntu0.1~esm1 | USN-5261-1 |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 12 | rubygem-passenger | 5.0.18-12.5.1 | SUSE-SU-2018:0262-1 |
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RubyGems | passenger | < 5.1.11 | 5.1.11 | GHSA-cv3f-px9r-54hm |
Advisories 3
- USN-5261-1 passenger vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Jun 25, 2026
- DSA-4415-1 passenger - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2018:0262-1 Security update for rubygem-passenger SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026