CVE-2016-10194
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2016-10194 is a command injection vulnerability in the festivaltts4r Ruby gem that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via shell metacharacters in input to the to_speech or to_mp3 methods. This affects any Ruby application using vulnerable versions of the festivaltts4r gem to process untrusted input.
💻 Affected Systems
- festivaltts4r Ruby gem
📦 What is this software?
Festivaltts4r by Festivaltts4r Project
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise with remote code execution as the application user, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Remote code execution leading to application compromise, data exfiltration, or installation of backdoors on affected systems.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if input validation and proper security controls prevent exploitation, potentially resulting in application crashes or denial of service.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation is straightforward with publicly available proof-of-concept code showing command injection via shell metacharacters.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Update to latest version or apply input validation
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/spejman/festivaltts4r/issues/1
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Update RubyGems: gem update festivaltts4r
2. Verify the gem is no longer in use or has been patched
3. Review and update any dependent applications
4. Consider replacing with alternative TTS libraries if maintenance is discontinued
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input Validation and Sanitization
allImplement strict input validation to reject any input containing shell metacharacters before passing to festivaltts4r methods.
# Example Ruby input validation
require 'shellwords'
safe_input = Shellwords.escape(user_input)
# OR implement custom validation to reject metacharacters
Remove or Disable FestivalTTS4R
allCompletely remove the festivaltts4r gem from your application if not essential, or disable affected functionality.
gem uninstall festivaltts4r
Remove 'festivaltts4r' from Gemfile and run bundle install
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict input validation and sanitization for all user inputs passed to festivaltts4r methods
- Network segmentation to isolate systems using festivaltts4r and restrict outbound connections
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if festivaltts4r gem is installed and being used in your Ruby application: gem list | grep festivaltts4rCheck Version:
gem list festivaltts4rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify the gem is either removed or updated, and test that shell metacharacters in input no longer execute commands📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual command execution patterns from Ruby processes
- Unexpected shell commands in application logs
- Failed command execution attempts with metacharacters
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected outbound connections from Ruby application servers
- Command and control traffic patterns
SIEM Query:
process.name:ruby AND cmdline:*festivaltts4r* AND (cmdline:*;* OR cmdline:*&* OR cmdline:*|* OR cmdline:*`*)🔗 References
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/01/31/14
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/02/02/5
- https://github.com/spejman/festivaltts4r/issues/1
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/01/31/14
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/02/02/5
- https://github.com/spejman/festivaltts4r/issues/1
