CVE-2020-5249

CVE-2020-5249 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Puma with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-74.

Key facts

Description

In Puma (RubyGem) before 4.3.3 and 3.12.4, if an application using Puma allows untrusted input in an early-hints header, an attacker can use a carriage return character to end the header and inject malicious content, such as additional headers or an entirely new response body. This vulnerability is known as HTTP Response Splitting. While not an attack in itself, response splitting is a vector for several other attacks, such as cross-site scripting (XSS). This is related to CVE-2020-5247, which fixed this vulnerability but only for regular responses. This has been fixed in 4.3.3 and 3.12.4.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-5249?
In Puma (RubyGem) before 4.3.3 and 3.12.4, if an application using Puma allows untrusted input in an early-hints header, an attacker can use a carriage return character to end the header and inject malicious content, such as additional headers or an entirely new response body. This vulnerability is known as HTTP Response Splitting. While not an attack in itself, response splitting is a vector for several other attacks, such as cross-site scripting (XSS). This is related to CVE-2020-5247, which fixed this vulnerability but only for regular responses. This has been fixed in 4.3.3 and 3.12.4.
How severe is CVE-2020-5249?
CVE-2020-5249 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity low, and availability low.
Is CVE-2020-5249 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (75th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-5249?
CVE-2020-5249 affects Puma. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-5249?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2020-5249 published?
CVE-2020-5249 was published on 2020-03-02 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

More vulnerabilities in Puma

All CVEs affecting Puma →

Other CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements (Injection)) vulnerabilities

Browse all CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements (Injection)) vulnerabilities →