CVE-2022-31163 : Security Advisory and Response

This article provides detailed information about the CVE-2022-31163 vulnerability in the TZInfo Ruby library, affecting versions prior to 0.3.61 and when used with tzinfo-data prior to 1.2.10.

Understanding CVE-2022-31163

This section delves into the vulnerability, its impact, technical details, and mitigation strategies.

What is CVE-2022-31163?

CVE-2022-31163 is a relative path traversal vulnerability in the TZInfo Ruby library, allowing the loading of arbitrary files.

The Impact of CVE-2022-31163

The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (High) with high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability of affected systems.

Technical Details of CVE-2022-31163

This section provides specific technical details of the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

In versions prior to 0.3.61 and when used with tzinfo-data prior to 1.2.10, TZInfo fails to validate time zone identifiers correctly, enabling an attacker to load unintended files using

require

.

Affected Systems and Versions

The vulnerability affects TZInfo versions < 0.3.61 and >= 1.0.0, < 1.2.10 when used with tzinfo-data.

Exploitation Mechanism

By manipulating time zone identifiers, an attacker can load arbitrary files within the Ruby process, leading to unauthorized execution.

Mitigation and Prevention

This section outlines steps to mitigate and prevent exploitation of the CVE-2022-31163 vulnerability.

Immediate Steps to Take

Ensure that affected versions are updated to 0.3.61 or 1.2.10 and validate time zone identifiers before passing to

TZInfo::Timezone.get

.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implement regular security updates, restrict access to sensitive directories, and validate all user inputs to prevent path traversal attacks.

Patching and Updates

Users are advised to update to TZInfo versions 0.3.61 or 1.2.10 to address the vulnerability.