Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Mechanize, a Ruby web automation library, could send an Authorization header to an unintended service when following a redirect to a different port on the same site. That can expose credentials or tokens. The issue affects versions before 2.8.5 and is fixed by upgrading.
Executive priority
Treat this as a targeted credential exposure issue. It is not described as actively exploited, but affected automation may carry sensitive tokens. Prioritize upgrades where Mechanize handles authenticated access to internal, customer, or administrative systems.
Technical view
CVE-2022-31033 is a CWE-200 information exposure in sparklemotion Mechanize before 2.8.5. During redirects to a different port on the same site, Mechanize leaked the Authorization header. CVSS is 5.9 with high confidentiality impact and no integrity or availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely in Ruby applications, scripts, crawlers, test harnesses, or integrations using the mechanize gem below 2.8.5 while sending Authorization headers and following redirects. Risk increases when tokens are privileged or target sites can redirect across ports.
Exploitation context
The supplied sources do not cite active exploitation, and the CVE is not marked KEV. Exploitation would require a relevant redirect condition involving a different port on the same site. The public evidence supports confidentiality exposure, not code execution or service disruption.
Researcher notes
The evidence is specific and limited: advisory, fix commit, CVE data, and Fedora package notices. The affected condition is redirect handling across ports on the same site. Sources name only Mechanize before 2.8.5, a fixed version, and no workaround.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade the mechanize gem to version 2.8.5 or later.
- Update OS or distribution packages where Mechanize is installed via package managers.
- Do not rely on a workaround; the advisory states none are known.
- Review affected automation credentials and rotate them if exposure is suspected.
- Check vendor and distribution advisories for environment-specific package guidance.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Ruby projects and hosts for mechanize gem versions below 2.8.5.
- Inspect Gemfile.lock, gemspecs, packaged dependencies, and deployment images.
- Identify workflows that use Mechanize with Authorization headers and redirects.
- Confirm production builds load Mechanize 2.8.5 or later.
- Review relevant proxy or application logs for unexpected authorization-bearing requests across ports.
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.
CWE-200: Information exposure and cloud metadata lookup
Information exposure and SSRF weaknesses can make discovery, cloud metadata, and credential material review relevant. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2022-31033 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
- Medium
- CVSS
- 5.9 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N2.23.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.9MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/sparklemotion/mechanize/security/advisories/GHSA-64qm-hrgp-pgr9CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://github.com/sparklemotion/mechanize/commit/c7fe6996a5b95f9880653ba3bc548a8d4ef72317CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- FEDORA-2022-fda14723ecCVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_FEDORA
- FEDORA-2022-6b1b324753CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_FEDORA
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.
Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.