CVE-2014-8090

CVE-2014-8090 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Ruby-lang Ruby with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 5.0. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low.

Key facts

• Severity: Medium (CVSS 2.0 base score 5.0)
• EPSS exploit prediction: 6% (92nd percentile)
• Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
• Affected product: Ruby-lang Ruby
• Published: 2014-11-21
• Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The REXML parser in Ruby 1.9.x before 1.9.3 patchlevel 551, 2.0.x before 2.0.0 patchlevel 598, and 2.1.x before 2.1.5 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU and memory consumption) a crafted XML document containing an empty string in an entity that is used in a large number of nested entity references, aka an XML Entity Expansion (XEE) attack. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2013-1821 and CVE-2014-8080.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2014-8090?

The REXML parser in Ruby 1.9.x before 1.9.3 patchlevel 551, 2.0.x before 2.0.0 patchlevel 598, and 2.1.x before 2.1.5 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU and memory consumption) a crafted XML document containing an empty string in an entity that is used in a large number of nested entity references, aka an XML Entity Expansion (XEE) attack. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2013-1821 and CVE-2014-8080.

How severe is CVE-2014-8090?

CVE-2014-8090 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 5.0, rated medium severity.

Is CVE-2014-8090 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 6% (92nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2014-8090?

CVE-2014-8090 primarily affects Ruby-lang Ruby. In total, 26 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2014-8090?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2014-8090 published?

CVE-2014-8090 was published on 2014-11-21 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

• http://advisories.mageia.org/MGASA-2014-0472.html
• http://lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce/2015/Sep/msg00008.html
• http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2014-12/msg00035.html
• http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2015-01/msg00000.html
• http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2015-01/msg00004.html
• http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2014-1911.html
• http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2014-1912.html
• http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2014-1913.html
• http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2014-1914.html
• http://secunia.com/advisories/59948
• http://secunia.com/advisories/62050
• http://secunia.com/advisories/62748
• http://www.debian.org/security/2015/dsa-3157
• http://www.debian.org/security/2015/dsa-3159
• http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2015:129
• http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/linuxbulletinjan2016-2867209.html
• http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/71230
• http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2412-1
• https://support.apple.com/HT205267
• https://www.ruby-lang.org/en/news/2014/11/13/rexml-dos-cve-2014-8090/

Affected products (26)

• cpe:2.3:a:ruby-lang:ruby:*:p550:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:ruby-lang:ruby:1.9.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:ruby-lang:ruby:1.9.3:p0:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:ruby-lang:ruby:1.9.3:p125:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:ruby-lang:ruby:1.9.3:p194:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:ruby-lang:ruby:1.9.3:p286:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:ruby-lang:ruby:1.9.3:p383:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:ruby-lang:ruby:1.9.3:p385:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:ruby-lang:ruby:1.9.3:p392:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:ruby-lang:ruby:1.9.3:p426:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:ruby-lang:ruby:1.9.3:p429:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:ruby-lang:ruby:1.9.3:p448:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:ruby-lang:ruby:1.9.3:p545:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:ruby-lang:ruby:1.9.3:p547:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:ruby-lang:ruby:2.0.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:ruby-lang:ruby:2.0.0:p0:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:ruby-lang:ruby:2.0.0:p195:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:ruby-lang:ruby:2.0.0:p247:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:ruby-lang:ruby:2.0.0:p451:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:ruby-lang:ruby:2.0.0:p481:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:ruby-lang:ruby:2.0.0:p576:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:ruby-lang:ruby:2.0.0:p594:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:ruby-lang:ruby:2.1.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:ruby-lang:ruby:2.1.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:ruby-lang:ruby:2.1.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:ruby-lang:ruby:2.1.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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