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CVE Record

CVE-2020-36327: Bundler 1.16.0 through 2.2.9 and 2.2.11 through 2.2.16 sometimes chooses a dependency source based on the h...

Bundler 1.16.0 through 2.2.9 and 2.2.11 through 2.2.16 sometimes chooses a dependency source based on the highest gem version number, which means that a rogue gem found at a public source may be chosen, even if the intended choice was a private gem that is a dependency of another private gem that is explicitly depended on by the application. NOTE: it is not correct to use CVE-2021-24105 for every "Dependency Confusion" issue in every product.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

Bundler could pick a public Ruby gem over an intended private gem when the public version number was higher. For organizations using private gems, this creates a supply-chain risk: a build could install untrusted code from a public source. The bundle does not show confirmed active exploitation for this CVE.

Executive priority

Prioritize remediation where Ruby applications depend on private gems. The business concern is build-pipeline trust: affected dependency resolution can introduce untrusted public code without an application code change.

Technical view

CVE-2020-36327 affects Bundler 1.16.0 through 2.2.9 and 2.2.11 through 2.2.16. Source priority handling could favor the highest gem version across sources, including public repositories, instead of the expected private dependency source. Bundler’s published guidance describes corrected source-priority behavior.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely in Ruby projects using affected Bundler versions with private gem sources plus public gem sources. Risk is highest where private transitive dependencies have names that could also exist in public repositories.

Exploitation context

The provided bundle links dependency-confusion research and Bundler-specific discussion, but KEV is false and no source in the bundle confirms active exploitation of this CVE. Treat it as a realistic supply-chain exposure, not a proven ongoing campaign.

Researcher notes

Evidence is strongest for dependency-resolution behavior and affected Bundler ranges. The bundle lacks CVSS, CWE, CPE, and confirmed exploit telemetry. Validate source precedence and lockfile provenance rather than treating this as a generic dependency-confusion CVE.

Mitigation direction

  • Upgrade Bundler to a non-affected version following Bundler or RubyGems guidance.
  • Review Gemfile and Gemfile.lock source mappings for private gems.
  • Prefer explicit private source configuration for private dependencies.
  • Check vendor or distribution advisories for packaged Ruby environments.
  • Avoid assuming CVE-2021-24105 covers this Bundler-specific issue.

Validation and detection

  • Identify Bundler versions used in developer, CI, and production build environments.
  • Review lockfiles for private gems resolved from unexpected public sources.
  • Check whether private gem names exist in public gem repositories.
  • Confirm CI builds use the expected private gem source.
  • Verify remediation against Bundler and distribution advisories.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
6

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

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.

0CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
7Source links

CVSS and timeline data

No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
n/an/an/aListed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.