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HIGH

CVE-2019-16255

CVSS v3

8.1

HIGH

EPSS Score

4.2 %

exploit probability, as of 2026-10-19

CISA KEV

No

known exploited

Exploitation

—

SSVC status

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Affected and fixed versions

Packages from OSV.dev and products from the vendors' CSAF advisories.

version not verifiedVersions not verified: read as OSV.dev and the vendors publish them, not checked against each vendor's release list.

Packages

  • rubygem-abrtAlmaLinux:8all versions · fixed in 0.3.0-4.module_el8.5.0+2623+08a8ba32and 1 other package
  • rubygem-bsonAlmaLinux:8all versions · fixed in 4.5.0-1.module_el8.5.0+250+ba22dbf7
  • rubygem-bson-docAlmaLinux:8all versions · fixed in 4.5.0-1.module_el8.5.0+2623+08a8ba32
  • rubygem-mongoAlmaLinux:8all versions · fixed in 2.8.0-1.module_el8.5.0+2623+08a8ba32and 1 other package
  • rubygem-mysql2AlmaLinux:8all versions · fixed in 0.5.2-1.module_el8.5.0+2623+08a8ba32and 1 other package
  • rubygem-pgAlmaLinux:8all versions · fixed in 1.1.4-1.module_el8.5.0+2623+08a8ba32
  • rubygem-pg-docAlmaLinux:8all versions · fixed in 1.1.4-1.module_el8.5.0+250+ba22dbf7

Vendor advisories

  • CVE-2019-16255 Red Hat Product Security767 products fixed · 49 known affected

    ruby: Code injection via command argument of Shell#test / Shell#[]

    3amp-system as a component of Red Hat 3scale API Management Platform 2 · ruby.src as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 · ruby as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6

  • RHSA-2022:0582 Red Hat Product Security142 products fixed

    Red Hat Security Advisory: ruby:2.6 security update

  • RHSA-2022:0581 Red Hat Product Security92 products fixed

    Red Hat Security Advisory: ruby:2.6 security update

  • RHSA-2021:2587 Red Hat Product Security144 products fixed

    Red Hat Security Advisory: ruby:2.5 security, bug fix, and enhancement update

  • RHSA-2021:2588 Red Hat Product Security142 products fixed

    Red Hat Security Advisory: ruby:2.6 security, bug fix, and enhancement update

  • RHSA-2021:2230 Red Hat Product Security105 products fixed

    Red Hat Security Advisory: rh-ruby26-ruby security, bug fix, and enhancement update

1 more advisory

Full record on NVD

Description

Ruby through 2.4.7, 2.5.x through 2.5.6, and 2.6.x through 2.6.4 allows code injection if the first argument (aka the "command" argument) to Shell#[] or Shell#test in lib/shell.rb is untrusted data. An attacker can exploit this to call an arbitrary Ruby method.

Technical details

Published
2019-11-26

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2019-16255?

Ruby through 2.4.7, 2.5.x through 2.5.6, and 2.6.x through 2.6.4 allows code injection if the first argument (aka the "command" argument) to Shell#[] or Shell#test in lib/shell.rb is untrusted data. An attacker can exploit this to call an arbitrary Ruby method.

Is CVE-2019-16255 actively exploited?

Active exploitation of CVE-2019-16255 has not been confirmed. Its EPSS score was 4.2% on 2026-10-19, the estimated probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2019-16255?

CVE-2019-16255 has a CVSS v3 base score of 8.1 (HIGH severity).

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