CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2022-24790NVD status: Modified

puma: Inconsistent Interpretation of HTTP Requests

CVE-2022-24790 is a high-severity inconsistent interpretation of HTTP requests vulnerability in puma, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected puma versions: < 4.3.12; >= 5.0.0, < 5.6.4. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 2.19% chance of exploitation within 30 days, higher than 83% of scored CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Check which version of puma you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
  2. Read the advisory on github.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
  3. Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
Pumapuma< 4.3.12; >= 5.0.0, < 5.6.4Not stated
DebianDebian Linux10.0; 11.0Not stated
Fedora ProjectFedora35; 36; 37Not stated

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
NoneNo account or login is needed.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
NoneNo data is disclosed.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
NoneAvailability is not affected.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N. Scored by NVD.

Scoring systemScoreSeverityScored by
CVSS 3.19.1CriticalCNA (github.com)
CVSS 3.17.5HighNVD
CVSS 2.05.0MediumNVD

Official description

Puma is a simple, fast, multi-threaded, parallel HTTP 1.1 server for Ruby/Rack applications. When using Puma behind a proxy that does not properly validate that the incoming HTTP request matches the RFC7230 standard, Puma and the frontend proxy may disagree on where a request starts and ends. This would allow requests to be smuggled via the front-end proxy to Puma. The vulnerability has been fixed in 5.6.4 and 4.3.12. Users are advised to upgrade as soon as possible. Workaround: when deploying a proxy in front of Puma, turning on any and all functionality to make sure that the request matches the RFC7230 standard.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Inconsistent Interpretation of HTTP Requests

The product acts as an intermediary HTTP agent (such as a proxy or firewall) in the data flow between two entities such as a client and server, but it does not interpret malformed HTTP requests or responses in ways that are consistent with how the messages will be processed by those entities that are at the ultimate destination.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Use a web server that employs a strict HTTP parsing procedure, such as Apache.
  • Terminate the client session after each request.

More Inconsistent Interpretation of HTTP Requests vulnerabilities (CWE-444)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: yes, technical impact: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Advisories

Third-party and government advisories

Other vulnerabilities in puma

All puma vulnerabilities

Recent Inconsistent Interpretation of HTTP Requests vulnerabilities

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