# CVE-2019-5418: Path Traversal in Action View

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2019-5418-ruby-on-rails-path-traversal-in-action-view  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2019-03-13. Updated: 2026-05-15  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2019-5418 · Severity: critical · CVSS 3.1 · Exploited in the wild · Published 2019-03-13

Ruby on Rails, a popular framework for building web applications, contains a security flaw that allows unauthorized individuals to view sensitive files on the server. By sending a specially crafted request, an attacker can bypass security restrictions to read configuration files, source code, or other private data. This vulnerability has been observed being used in active attacks and could lead to the exposure of confidential business information.

Technologies: [Rails Ruby on Rails](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/ruby-on-rails), [Ruby on Rails Rails](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/rails), [actionview (RubyGems)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/actionview). Vendors: [Rails](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/rails), [Ruby on Rails](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/ruby-on-rails), [RubyGems](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/rubygems).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2019-5418 exploited in the wild?** Yes. CVE-2019-5418 is known to be exploited in the wild, first recorded on 7 July 2025. Treat it as urgent.

**How severe is CVE-2019-5418?** Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 3.1, published 13 March 2019.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Ruby on Rails Rails < 5.2.2.1, < 5.1.6.2, < 5.0.7.2, < 4.2.11.1, v3; actionview (RubyGems) ECOSYSTEM:introduced=5.2.0,fixed=5.2.2.1.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2019-5418?** Yes. actionview (RubyGems): upgrade to 5.2.2.1 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2019-5418 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2019-5418?** Check whether you run Rails Ruby on Rails, Ruby on Rails Rails or actionview (RubyGems) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- actionview (RubyGems): upgrade to 5.2.2.1 or later

  ```sh
  bundle update actionview
  ```


## Technical details

A path traversal vulnerability exists in the Action View component of Ruby on Rails. The flaw is triggered when an application uses the `render file:` method in a way that interacts with user-supplied Accept headers. An unauthenticated remote attacker can provide a specially crafted Accept header to escape the intended directory and read arbitrary files from the server's filesystem. This vulnerability has been confirmed to be exploited in the wild and is addressed in versions 5.2.2.1, 5.1.6.2, 5.0.7.2, and 4.2.11.1.

## Affected products

- Ruby on Rails Ruby on Rails < 5.2.2.1, < 5.1.6.2, < 5.0.7.2, < 4.2.11.1, v3

## Identifiers

- CVE-2019-5418
- GHSA-86g5-2wh3-gc9j

## Timeline

- 2019-03-13: patched: Vendor released security updates for multiple versions
- 2019-03-22: disclosed: Public disclosure of the vulnerability details
- 2025-07-07: kev added: Added to CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

## Related threats

- [Rails Action View XSS via HTML5 sanitizer in text helpers](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-126079-action-view-is-a-framework-for-handling-view-template-lookup-and)
- [Rails Action View TextHelper highlight XSS](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-126078-action-view-is-a-framework-for-handling-view-template-lookup-and)
- [Rails Action View strip_tags XSS in HTML attributes](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-126070-action-view-is-a-framework-for-handling-view-template-lookup-and)
- [Ruby on Rails Action View XSS in tag helpers via whitespace attribute names](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-126069-action-view-is-a-framework-for-handling-view-template-lookup-and)
- [Rails has a possible XSS vulnerability in its Action View tag helpers](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-33168-rails-has-a-possible-xss-vulnerability-in-its-action-view-tag)