CVE-2014-8090

What it is

The REXML parser in Ruby 1.9.x before 1.9.3 patchlevel 551, 2.0.x before 2.0.0 patchlevel 598, and 2.1.x before 2.1.5 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU and memory consumption) a crafted XML document containing an empty string in an entity that is used in a large number of nested entity references, aka an XML Entity Expansion (XEE) attack. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2013-1821 and CVE-2014-8080.

At a glance

Exploitability

Can be exploited over the network without logging in. Limited direct impact.

Exploit odds

5.7% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS).

Fix

A patch, advisory or fixed version is referenced. Upgrade or apply it.

Timeline

1. 2014-11-21 15:59 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2. 2026-06-17 00:16 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

• Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
• Exploit odds: 5.7% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
• Severity: 5.0 MEDIUM (CVSS).
• Fix: a patch or advisory is linked.

Details

Published

2014-11-21 15:59 UTC

Last modified

2026-06-17 00:16 UTC

Exploit probability

5.7% · EPSS, next 30 days

Record status

Modified

Affected

• ruby-lang Ruby ≤ 1.9.3
• ruby-lang Ruby 1.9.3
• ruby-lang Ruby 2.0.0
• ruby-lang Ruby 2.1.1
• ruby-lang Ruby 2.1.2
• ruby-lang Ruby 2.1.3
• ruby-lang Ruby 2.1.4

Attack profile CVSS 2.0 · 5.0

Attack vector

Network

Complexity

Low

Authentication

None

Confidentiality

None

Integrity

None

Availability

Partial

Is it in your code?

Hand this to your coding agent. It searches your project for the affected products and checks versions. Nothing leaves your machine.

Read https://cve-list.com/agent/cve/CVE-2014-8090.md and follow it. Check whether this project is affected by CVE-2014-8090. Read only. Don't change anything and don't upload my code. Tell me yes, no or not sure, with the file as proof.

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