CVE-2022-23520: rails-html-sanitizer is responsible for sanitizing HTML fragments in Rails applications. Prior to version 1.4.4, there is a possible XSS vulnerability...

Description

rails-html-sanitizer is responsible for sanitizing HTML fragments in Rails applications. Prior to version 1.4.4, there is a possible XSS vulnerability with certain configurations of Rails::Html::Sanitizer due to an incomplete fix of CVE-2022-32209. Rails::Html::Sanitizer may allow an attacker to inject content if the application developer has overridden the sanitizer's allowed tags to allow both "select" and "style" elements. Code is only impacted if allowed tags are being overridden. This issue is patched in version 1.4.4. All users overriding the allowed tags to include both "select" and "style" should either upgrade or use this workaround: Remove either "select" or "style" from the overridden allowed tags. NOTE: Code is _not_ impacted if allowed tags are overridden using either the :tags option to the Action View helper method sanitize or the :tags option to the instance method SafeListSanitizer#sanitize.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

6.1/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

EPSS Probability

1.11%

61.8th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Rubyonrails	Rails Html Sanitizers	< 1.4.4
Debian	Debian Linux	10.0

References

https://github.com/rails/rails-html-sanitizer/security/advisories/GHSA-rrfc-7g8p-99q8Exploit, Third Party Advisory
https://hackerone.com/reports/1654310Exploit, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/09/msg00012.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/rails/rails-html-sanitizer/security/advisories/GHSA-rrfc-7g8p-99q8Exploit, Third Party Advisory
https://hackerone.com/reports/1654310Exploit, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/09/msg00012.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/09/msg00045.html

Timeline

Published: Dec 14, 2022
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-23520?

rails-html-sanitizer is responsible for sanitizing HTML fragments in Rails applications. Prior to version 1.4.4, there is a possible XSS vulnerability with certain configurations of Rails::Html::Sanitizer due to an incomplete fix of CVE-2022-32209. Rails::Html::Sanitizer may allow an attacker to inject content if the application developer has overridden the sanitizer's allowed tags to allow both "select" and "style" elements. Code is only impacted if allowed tags are being overridden. This issue is patched in version 1.4.4. All users overriding the allowed tags to include both "select" and "style" should either upgrade or use this workaround: Remove either "select" or "style" from the overridden allowed tags. NOTE: Code is _not_ impacted if allowed tags are overridden using either the :tags option to the Action View helper method sanitize or the :tags option to the instance method SafeListSanitizer#sanitize.

How severe is CVE-2022-23520?

CVE-2022-23520 has a CVSS score of 6.1/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 1.11% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2022-23520?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.