CVE-2024-49761: ruby rexml · ReDoS
Affects ruby rexmlSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.6 Medium : upgrade to 3.3.9 when convenient.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 10:12 UTC
- EPSS
- 1.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 72% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 3.3.9
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:UExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 28 Oct 2024
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
Upgrade ruby rexml to 3.3.9.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| ruby rexml | Affected
| Fixed in
|
AI-suggested
European organizations should immediately audit their Ruby environments to identify usage of REXML gem versions prior to 3.3.9, especially on Ruby 3.1. Upgrading the REXML gem to version 3.3.9 or later is the primary mitigation step. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, consider implementing input validation or filtering to detect and block XML inputs containing suspiciously long hex numeric character references. Employ runtime resource limits and monitoring to detect abnormal CPU usage patterns indicative of ReDoS attempts. Additionally, isolate XML parsing components behind rate limiting and web application firewalls (WAFs) configured to detect anomalous XML payloads. Encourage development teams to migrate to Ruby 3.2 or later where this vulnerability is not present. Regularly update dependencies and monitor vulnerability advisories to stay ahead of similar issues.
Description
REXML is an XML toolkit for Ruby. The REXML gem before 3.3.9 has a ReDoS vulnerability when it parses an XML that has many digits between &# and x...; in a hex numeric character reference (&#x...;). This does not happen with Ruby 3.2 or later. Ruby 3.1 is the only affected maintained Ruby. The REXML gem 3.3.9 or later include the patch to fix the vulnerability.
References
- github.com/ruby/rexml/security/advisories/GHSA-2rxp-v6pw-ch6m (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/ruby/rexml/commit/ce59f2eb1aeb371fe1643414f06618dbe031979f (opens in a new tab)
- ruby-lang.org/en/news/2024/10/28/redos-rexml-cve-2024-49761 (opens in a new tab)
- security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20241227-0004/ (opens in a new tab)
- lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/01/msg00011.html (opens in a new tab)