# Rails Ruby on Rails: Ruby on Rails Path Traversal Vulnerability · pwn.watch

> Rails Ruby on Rails contains a path traversal vulnerability in Action View. Specially crafted accept headers in combination with calls to `render file:` can cause arbitrary files on the target server to be rendered, disclosing the file contents. Added to CISA KEV on 2025-07-07.

Page: https://pwn.watch/i/rails-ruby-on-rails-cve-2019-5418 · generated 2026-10-22T21:47:37.879Z

## Status
- Severity: high · status: closed · patch: patched
- Product: Rails Ruby on Rails
- Started: 2025-07-07 · closed: 2025-07-07
- CVEs: CVE-2019-5418
- Affected: See vendor advisory / CISA notes (versions not always listed in KEV feed)
- Fixed in: See vendor advisory linked in sources

## Follow this incident
- RSS (one item per update): https://pwn.watch/i/rails-ruby-on-rails-cve-2019-5418/feed.xml
- JSON Feed: https://pwn.watch/i/rails-ruby-on-rails-cve-2019-5418/feed.json
- Full data (timeline, sources, posts, agentBrief): https://pwn.watch/i/rails-ruby-on-rails-cve-2019-5418.json
- This file: https://pwn.watch/i/rails-ruby-on-rails-cve-2019-5418/llms.txt

## Updates (newest first)
- 2025-07-07: CISA added CVE-2019-5418 to the KEV catalog (due 2025-07-28).

## Fix brief
# Security brief: Rails Ruby on Rails: Ruby on Rails Path Traversal Vulnerability

Source: https://pwn.watch/i/rails-ruby-on-rails-cve-2019-5418 · status: closed (closed Jul 7, 2025) · severity: high · updated Jul 7, 2025

## Patch status
**PATCHED: fixed releases exist. Upgrade to a fixed version.**

## What it is
Rails Ruby on Rails contains a path traversal vulnerability in Action View. Specially crafted accept headers in combination with calls to `render file:` can cause arbitrary files on the target server to be rendered, disclosing the file contents. Added to CISA KEV on 2025-07-07.

Severity detail: CVSS 7.5 (CISA ADP, v3.1); actively exploited (CISA KEV)

- Product: Rails Ruby on Rails
- CVE / advisory ids: CVE-2019-5418

## Affected versions
- See vendor advisory / CISA notes (versions not always listed in KEV feed)

## Check whether you're affected
No generic command applies (the product is a hosted service, appliance or desktop app). Check the installed version in its admin UI / About screen and compare with the versions above.

## Fix
Upgrade to one of these fixed versions (or later on the same branch):
- See vendor advisory linked in sources

After upgrading, re-run the checks above and redeploy/restart the affected services.

## Latest updates
- Jul 7, 2025: CISA added CVE-2019-5418 to the KEV catalog (due 2025-07-28).

## Advisories
- [Rails advisory: Rails Ruby on Rails](https://web.archive.org/web/20190313201629/https://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2019/3/13/Rails-4-2-5-1-5-1-6-2-have-been-released/) (Rails)
- [NVD: CVE-2019-5418](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-5418) (NVD)
- [CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog](https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog) (CISA)

## Caveats
Derived from CISA KEV JSON feed catalogVersion 2026.10.21. CVSS from the CVE record (cvelistV5). Exact affected/fixed version strings are not always in the KEV record; verify against the vendor advisory URL. startedAt uses dateAdded (exploitation may have begun earlier; many entries are older CVEs newly confirmed as exploited in 2025).

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Machine-readable: https://pwn.watch/i/rails-ruby-on-rails-cve-2019-5418.json · all incidents: https://pwn.watch/incidents.json. Verify against the vendor advisory before changing production systems.