GHSA-fj7f-vq84-fh43

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    GHSA-fj7f-vq84-fh43

    Published: 8 Dec 2021Last Modified: 8 Jul 2026

    Summary: Local Code Execution through Argument Injection via dash leading git url parameter in Gemfile.

    Details: In `bundler` versions before 2.2.33, when working with untrusted and apparently harmless `Gemfile`'s, it is not expected that they lead to execution of external code, unless that's explicit in the ruby code inside the `Gemfile` itself. However, if the `Gemfile` includes `gem` entries that use the `git` option with invalid, but seemingly harmless, values with a leading dash, this can be false. To handle dependencies that come from a Git repository instead of a registry, Bundler uses various commands, such as `git clone`. These commands are being constructed using user input (e.g. the repository URL). When building the commands, Bundler versions before 2.2.33 correctly avoid Command Injection vulnerabilities by passing an array of arguments instead of a command string. However, there is the possibility that a user input starts with a dash (`-`) and is therefore treated as an optional argument instead of a positional one. This can lead to Code Execution because some of the commands have options that can be leveraged to run arbitrary executables. Since this value comes from the `Gemfile` file, it can contain any character, including a leading dash. ### Exploitation To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker has to craft a directory containing a `Gemfile` file that declares a dependency that is located in a Git repository. This dependency has to have a Git URL in the form of `-u./payload`. This URL will be used to construct a Git clone command but will be interpreted as the [upload-pack](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-clone#Documentation/git-clone.txt--ultupload-packgt) argument. Then this directory needs to be shared with the victim, who then needs to run a command that evaluates the Gemfile, such as `bundle lock`, inside. ### Impact This vulnerability can lead to Arbitrary Code Execution, which could potentially lead to the takeover of the system. However, as explained above, the exploitability is very low, because it requires a lot of user interaction. It still could put developers at risk when dealing with untrusted files in a way they think is safe, because the exploit still works when the victim tries to make sure nothing can happen, e.g. by manually reviewing the `Gemfile` (although they would need the weird URL with a leading dash to not raise any flags). This kind of attack vector [has been used in the past](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/26/north-korean-hackers-targeting-security-researchers-on-twitter.html) to target security researchers by sending them projects to collaborate on. ### Patches Bundler 2.2.33 has patched this problem by inserting `--` as an argument before any positional arguments to those Git commands that were affected by this issue. ### Workarounds Regardless of whether users can upgrade or not, they should review any untrustred `Gemfile`'s before running any `bundler` commands that may read them, since they can contain arbitrary ruby code. ### References https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/88.html

    Affected packages

    Package

    Name: bundler

    Purl: pkg:gem/bundler

    Affected ranges

    Type: ECOSYSTEM

    Events:

    Introduced- 0
    Fixed -2.2.33

    Affected versions

    0.3.0
    0.3.1

    Common Vulnerability Scoring System

    Attack Vector
    Network
    Adjacent
    Local
    Physical
    Privileges Required
    None
    Low
    High
    User Interaction
    None
    Required
    Scope
    Unchanged
    Changed
    Confidentiality
    None
    Low
    High
    Integrity
    None
    Low
    High
    Availability
    None
    Low
    High
    GHSA-fj7f-vq84-fh43 | CVE-DB