Description
The is a code injection vulnerability in versions of Rails prior to 5.0.1 that wouldallow an attacker who controlled the `locals` argument of a `render` call to perform a RCE.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | https://github.com/rails/rails | Fixed in 4.2.11.2 | — |
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 | rails | 2:5.2.0+dfsg-2 | — |
| Debian 13 | rails | 2:5.2.0+dfsg-2 | — |
| Debian 12 | rails | 2:5.2.0+dfsg-2 | — |
| Debian 9 | rails | 2:4.2.7.1-1+deb9u3 | DLA-2282-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.10 | rails | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | rails | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 25.10 | rails | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | rails | No fix yet | — |
Show 4 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 22.04 LTS | rails | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS | rails | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS | rails | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | rails | No fix yet | — |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud Crowbar 9 | rubygem-actionview-4_2 | 4.2.9-9.9.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:2140-1 |
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud Crowbar 9 | rubygem-activesupport-4_2 | 4.2.9-7.6.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:2140-1 |
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud Crowbar 8 | rubygem-actionview-4_2 | 4.2.9-9.9.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:2140-1 |
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud Crowbar 8 | rubygem-activesupport-4_2 | 4.2.9-7.6.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:2140-1 |
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud 7 | rubygem-actionview-4_2 | 4.2.9-9.9.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:2140-1 |
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud 7 | rubygem-activesupport-4_2 | 4.2.9-7.6.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:2140-1 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud 6 | rubygem-actionview-4_2 | 4.2.9-9.9.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:2140-1 |
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud 6 | rubygem-activesupport-4_2 | 4.2.9-7.6.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:2140-1 |
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 1
- Rails 5.0.1 - Remote Code Execution EDB-48716 · webapps · Jul 26, 2020
GitHub 3 repositories
-
lucasamorimca/CVE-2020-8163 ★ 60 · Jun 19, 2020
CVE-2020-8163 - Remote code execution of user-provided local names in Rails
-
h4ms1k/CVE-2020-8163 ★ 4 · Jul 18, 2020
Enviroment and exploit to rce test
-
RedBinaryRabbit/CVE-2020-8163 ★ 1 · Mar 24, 2022
This is a exploit code for CVE-2020-8163
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Automated scanner template
A ready-made Nuclei template detects this vulnerability automatically. Vulnerabilities with public scanner templates are typically probed across the internet soon after the template appears — exposed systems should be patched first.
- Ruby on Rails <5.0.1 - Remote Code Execution http/cves/2020/CVE-2020-8163.yaml
Source: projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates (MIT) — updated daily. Only links are listed.
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RubyGems | actionview | < 4.2.11.3 | 4.2.11.3 | GHSA-cr3x-7m39-c6jq |
Advisories 2
- DLA-2282-1 rails - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2020:2140-1 Security update for rubygem-actionview-4_2 SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026