Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2019-14282 is a malicious supply-chain issue: version 0.2.3 of the Ruby simple_captcha2 gem reportedly contained a third-party code-execution backdoor. Organizations that installed this exact gem version should treat affected systems as potentially compromised until dependency and runtime exposure are verified.
Executive priority
Prioritize this if Ruby applications or historical build artifacts used simple_captcha2 0.2.3. The issue is old, but a backdoored dependency changes the response from routine patching to compromise assessment.
Technical view
The CVE record describes simple_captcha2 gem 0.2.3, as distributed on RubyGems.org, as containing a third-party code-execution backdoor. The source bundle does not provide CVSS, CWE, exploit telemetry, affected CPEs, or a confirmed clean replacement version.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely in Ruby applications or build environments that installed simple_captcha2 version 0.2.3 from RubyGems. Evidence is incomplete for downstream packaged products or transitive usage.
Exploitation context
The provided bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cite active exploitation. The core risk is malicious dependency execution in environments where the affected gem was installed or loaded.
Researcher notes
The record is sparse: no CVSS, CWE, exploit status, or detailed remediation is included in the source bundle. Focus validation on exact version presence, dependency provenance, and host-level evidence around systems that loaded the gem.
Mitigation direction
- Identify and remove simple_captcha2 0.2.3 from dependencies and build artifacts.
- Check RubyGems and Snyk guidance before selecting any replacement or version.
- Rebuild and redeploy affected applications from trusted dependency locks.
- Review potentially exposed hosts for compromise indicators before returning them to service.
- Rotate secrets if affected systems executed the compromised dependency.
Validation and detection
- Search dependency manifests and lockfiles for simple_captcha2 version 0.2.3.
- Check CI, container images, and production build artifacts for the affected gem.
- Confirm runtime hosts no longer load the compromised gem version.
- Review deployment timelines against the 2019 disclosure window.
- Document whether exposure was direct, transitive, or absent.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CVE-2019-14282 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/rubygems/rubygems.org/issues/2073CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://rubygems.org/gems/simple_captcha2/versions/CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-RUBY-SIMPLECAPTCHA2-455501CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.