# What is CVE-2018-3741?

> CVE-2018-3741 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 6.1) in Html Sanitizer from Rubyonrails, published on 30 March 2018. It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts its chance of use in the next 30 days at 1.3%. If you run an affected version, plan in the vendor’s fix.

Canonical page: https://www.precursorintelligence.com/what-is/cve-2018-3741

## At a glance

- **Verdict:** Plan it in. No sign of exploitation and a low forecast. Patch it in your normal update cycle.
- **Precursor Intelligence risk score:** 23 out of 100 (Low); action: Monitor. Kept up to date as the evidence changes.
- **Severity:** Medium (CVSS 6.1 out of 10)
- **Known to be exploited:** No, not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today
- **Chance of use in the next 30 days:** 1.3% (latest exploit-likelihood forecast)
- **Published:** 30 March 2018
- **Record last updated:** 30 January 2023
- **Main product:** Html Sanitizer from Rubyonrails
- **Affected products:** 1

## What is CVE-2018-3741? In plain terms

It can be attacked from anywhere on the internet without logging in, but a person has to take an action first. If it works, the attacker can read some data and change some data.

### The official description

There is a possible XSS vulnerability in all rails-html-sanitizer gem versions below 1.0.4 for Ruby. The gem allows non-whitelisted attributes to be present in sanitized output when input with specially-crafted HTML fragments, and these attributes can lead to an XSS attack on target applications. This issue is similar to CVE-2018-8048 in Loofah. All users running an affected release should either upgrade or use one of the workarounds immediately.

### What kind of flaw is it?

- CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')

### How an attack on it works

- Where an attacker can be: Anywhere on the internet
- How hard it is to pull off: Easy: no special conditions
- Login needed first: No login needed
- Does someone have to click: Yes, a person has to take an action
- What an attacker gets: Can read some data and change some data

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

## Is CVE-2018-3741 being exploited? Not that we know of

It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts the chance of it being used in the next 30 days at 1.3%. That can change at any time, which is why we keep watching.

Exploit likelihood over the last 7 days: 1.3%, 1.3%, 1.3%, 1.3%, 1.3%, 1.3%, 1.3%.

### Timeline

- 30 March 2018: Published
- 30 January 2023: Record last updated

### How Precursor Intelligence ranks it

CVE-2018-3741 scores **23 out of 100 (Low)**, with the action "Monitor".

Every published flaw gets a risk score from 0 to 100, kept up to date as the evidence changes. Four things go into the score, from the one that counts most to the ones that count less:

- Evidence it is being exploited: biggest factor
- How severe it is: strong factor
- How widely exposed it is: smaller factor
- Threat activity around it: smaller factor

85 and above is Critical. Anything confirmed as exploited is always marked for an emergency patch, whatever its score. When this flaw matches software you track, it lands in your list with its score and the reasons behind it.

## Who is affected by CVE-2018-3741?

The published record lists 1 product.

- [Html Sanitizer](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/rubyonrails/html_sanitizer) by [Rubyonrails](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/rubyonrails) (Application): up to 1.0.3

## How do I fix CVE-2018-3741?

1. **Check whether you run it.** Compare your versions with the affected products above. Not sure what you run? Precursor Intelligence can work it out from your public website, or you can pick it from a list.
2. **Apply the vendor’s fix.** Install the update named in the vendor’s advisory. We’ve put the advisory first in the list.
3. **If you can’t patch today.** Follow any mitigation the vendor publishes, and limit who can reach the affected system from the internet until the update is in.
4. **Keep an eye on it.** Track the product and we tell you as soon as we spot this flaw on the list of exploited flaws, or a jump in its exploit likelihood.

### References

- [github.com](https://github.com/rails/rails-html-sanitizer/commit/f3ba1a839a35f2ba7f941c15e239a1cb379d56ae) (Issue tracking, Patch, Third-party advisory)

## Questions

### What is CVE-2018-3741?

CVE-2018-3741 is a medium-severity flaw in Html Sanitizer from Rubyonrails, published on 30 March 2018. It can be attacked from anywhere on the internet without logging in, but a person has to take an action first. If it works, the attacker can read some data and change some data.

### How serious is CVE-2018-3741?

It scores 6.1 out of 10 on the CVSS severity scale, which is medium. Our risk score for CVE-2018-3741 is 23 out of 100, which is Low. Its action is "Monitor". No sign of exploitation and a low forecast. Patch it in your normal update cycle.

### Is CVE-2018-3741 being exploited?

It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts the chance of it being used in the next 30 days at 1.3%. That can change at any time, which is why we keep watching.

### Which versions does CVE-2018-3741 affect?

For Html Sanitizer from Rubyonrails: up to 1.0.3.

### How do I fix CVE-2018-3741?

Install the update the vendor names in its advisory, linked first under "How do I fix" on this page. If you can't patch today, follow the vendor's mitigation and limit who can reach the affected system from the internet.

## Does CVE-2018-3741 affect you?

Precursor Intelligence keeps checking for you:

- **Tell us what you run.** Pick your software from a list, or let us work it out from your website.
- **We match it to every flaw.** Over 400,000 published flaws, checked against your list.
- **Ranked by real-world risk.** Every flaw gets a 0 to 100 risk score, kept up to date, led by evidence criminals are using it.
- **Told as soon as we know.** An alert by email, in the app or by webhook to your own tools.

Start free (no card, nothing to install): https://www.precursorintelligence.com/register
Book a demo: https://www.precursorintelligence.com/contact

