CVE-2014-0130

What is this vulnerability?

CVE-2014-0130 is categorized as a high Path Traversal flaw with a CVSS base score of 7.5. Based on our vulnerability intelligence, this issue occurs when the application fails to securely handle untrusted data boundaries.

Directory traversal vulnerability in actionpack/lib/abstract_controller/base.rb in the implicit-render implementation in Ruby on Rails before 3.2.18, 4.0.x before 4.0.5, and 4.1.x before 4.1.1, when certain route globbing configurations are enabled, allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files via a crafted request.

This architectural defect enables adversaries to bypass intended security controls, directly manipulating the application's execution state or data layer. Immediate strategic intervention is required.

Risk Assessment

Impact on Systems

✅ Data Exfiltration: Attackers can extract sensitive data from backend databases, configuration files, or internal services.

✅ Authentication Bypass: Exploiting this flaw may allow unauthorized access to protected resources and administrative interfaces.

✅ Lateral Movement: Once initial access is gained, attackers can pivot to internal systems and escalate privileges.

How to Fix and Mitigate CVE-2014-0130

1. Apply Vendor Patches Immediately: This vulnerability is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Apply updates per vendor instructions.
2. Verify Patch Deployment: Confirm all instances are updated using Precogs continuous monitoring.
3. Review Audit Logs: Investigate historical access logs for indicators of compromise related to this attack surface.
4. Implement Defense-in-Depth: Deploy WAF rules, network segmentation, and endpoint detection to limit blast radius.

Defending with Precogs AI

Precogs AI Analysis Engine identifies this vulnerability class through semantic code analysis powered by Code Property Graph (CPG) technology, performing inter-procedural taint tracking to detect injection flaws, broken authentication, and insecure data flows across your entire codebase.

Use Precogs to continuously scan your codebase, binaries, APIs, and infrastructure for this vulnerability class and related attack patterns. Our AI-powered detection engine combines static analysis with threat intelligence to identify exploitable weaknesses before attackers do.

Start scanning with Precogs →

Vulnerability Code Signature

Attack Data Flow

Vulnerable Code Pattern

// ❌ VULNERABLE: Unvalidated path resolution
public File getFile(String filename) {
    String basePath = "/var/www/uploads/";
    // Taint sink: permits directory traversal via "../"
    return new File(basePath + filename);
}

Secure Code Pattern

// ✅ SECURE: Canonical path validation
public File getFile(String filename) throws IOException {
    File baseDir = new File("/var/www/uploads/").getCanonicalFile();
    File requestedFile = new File(baseDir, filename).getCanonicalFile();
    
    // Sanitized boundary check
    if (!requestedFile.getPath().startsWith(baseDir.getPath())) {
        throw new SecurityException("Path traversal attempt detected");
    }
    return requestedFile;
}

How Precogs Detects This

Precogs AI Analysis Engine utilizes semantic taint tracking to detect insecure path resolution sinks, ensuring file access is strictly bounded.\n