CVE-2023-22796: A regular expression based DoS vulnerability in Active Support <6.1.7.1 and <7.0.4.1. A specially crafted string passed to the underscore method can c...

Description

A regular expression based DoS vulnerability in Active Support <6.1.7.1 and <7.0.4.1. A specially crafted string passed to the underscore method can cause the regular expression engine to enter a state of catastrophic backtracking. This can cause the process to use large amounts of CPU and memory, leading to a possible DoS vulnerability.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

7.5/10

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

EPSS Probability

1.71%

74.5th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Activesupport Project	Activesupport	< 6.1.7.1
Activesupport Project	Activesupport	>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.4.1

References

Timeline

Published: Feb 9, 2023
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-22796?

A regular expression based DoS vulnerability in Active Support <6.1.7.1 and <7.0.4.1. A specially crafted string passed to the underscore method can cause the regular expression engine to enter a state of catastrophic backtracking. This can cause the process to use large amounts of CPU and memory, leading to a possible DoS vulnerability.

How severe is CVE-2023-22796?

CVE-2023-22796 has a CVSS score of 7.5/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 1.71% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2023-22796?

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.