Description
In the yajl-ruby gem 1.3.0 for Ruby, when a crafted JSON file is supplied to Yajl::Parser.new.parse, the whole ruby process crashes with a SIGABRT in the yajl_string_decode function in yajl_encode.c. This results in the whole ruby process terminating and potentially a denial of service.
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 | r-cran-jsonlite | 1.8.8+dfsg-1 | — |
| Debian 14 | ruby-yajl | 1.2.0-3.1 | — |
| Debian 14 | yajl | 2.1.0-4 | — |
| Debian 13 | burp | 3.1.4-2 | — |
| Debian 13 | r-cran-jsonlite | 1.8.8+dfsg-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | ruby-yajl | 1.2.0-3.1 | — |
| Debian 13 | yajl | 2.1.0-4 | — |
| Debian 12 | burp +1 | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 12 | ruby-yajl | 1.2.0-3.1 | — |
| Debian 12 | yajl | 2.1.0-3+deb12u2 | — |
| Debian 10 | burp | 2.1.32-2+deb10u1 | DLA-3516-1 |
| Debian 10 | yajl | 2.1.0-3+deb10u2 | DLA-3492-1 |
| Debian 7 | ruby-yajl | 1.1.0-2+deb7u1 | DLA-1167-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | yajl | 2.1.0-3ubuntu0.22.04.1 | USN-6233-2 |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | yajl | 2.1.0-3ubuntu0.20.04.1 | USN-6233-2 |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | ruby-yajl | No fix yet | — |
Show 3 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS | yajl | 2.1.0-2ubuntu0.18.04.1~esm1 | USN-6233-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | yajl | 2.1.0-2ubuntu0.16.04.1~esm1 | USN-6233-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS | yajl | 2.0.4-4ubuntu0.1~esm1 | USN-6233-1 |
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RubyGems | yajl-ruby | < 1.3.1 | 1.3.1 | GHSA-wwh7-4jw9-33x6 |
Advisories 5
- USN-6233-1 yajl vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Jun 29, 2026
- USN-6233-2 yajl vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Apr 27, 2026
- DLA-3492-1 yajl - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DLA-3516-1 burp - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DLA-1167-1 ruby-yajl - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- https://rubygems.org/gems/yajl-ruby
- https://github.com/brianmario/yajl-ruby/issues/176
- [debian-lts-announce] 20171108 [SECURITY] [DLA 1167-1] ruby-yajl security update mailing-list
- [debian-lts-announce] 20230711 [SECURITY] [DLA 3492-1] yajl security update mailing-list
- [debian-lts-announce] 20230805 [SECURITY] [DLA 3516-1] burp security update mailing-list