CVE-2016-2098

HIGHNVD 7.38.9
EchelonGraph scoreHIGH confidence

“▲” beside the score: it is higher than NVD's CVSS score.

Score elevated to 8.9 because EPSS predicted 81% probability of exploitation within the next 30 days (99th percentile of EPSS-scored CVEs) when EchelonGraph scored this CVE. NVD baseline CVSS 7.3 retained for reference. Confidence: see factors.

Triggered by: EPSS exploit prediction (continuous uplift above 30%)
Sources: EPSS, NVD CVSS v3
Trending — 3 sources updated this weekWeaponized
8.9EG
EchelonGraph verdictPlan a fixRemediate within your standard update timelines at low or medium mission impact and sooner than that at high (the SSVC decision on this page).
  • High exploitation likelihood — EPSS 81%
  • Public exploit code is available (Metasploit, Exploit-DB, marked verified by Exploit-DB, other public proof-of-concept code)
CISA-KEV: Not listedEPSS PROB: 81%CVSS: 7.3Exploit: Metasploit · Exploit-DB (verified) · other public PoCExposed services: Not assessed

A fix is available — apply it.

Action Pack in Ruby on Rails before 3.2.22.2, 4.x before 4.1.14.2, and 4.2.x before 4.2.5.2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary Ruby code by leveraging an application's unrestricted use of the render method.

CVSS v3
7.3
EG Score
8.9HIGHhigh confidence
EG Risk
65
EG Risk 65/100

EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score. It fuses impact severity (EG Severity, the CVSS base score, never the KEV-floored or EPSS-lifted EG Score) with real-world exploitation and automatability, under weights EchelonGraph set by hand, so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner.

How it’s computed (value × EchelonGraph’s weight)
Severity73% × 45%
Impact severity (EG Severity): CVSS 7.3 of 10. Never the KEV-floored or EPSS-lifted EG Score.
Exploitation81% × 40%
FIRST EPSS: the 30-day exploitation probability when EchelonGraph scored this CVE.
Automatability0% × 15%
CISA's BOD 26-04 default: no one has published Automatable for this CVE, and CISA treats it as “no” for a CVE not in KEV.
SSVC (CISA's decision table, applied by EchelonGraph): Track at low, Track* at medium and Attend at high mission impact.
Exploitation public PoC (exploit code on record) · Automatable no (CISA's BOD 26-04 default) · Technical impact total (CISA's BOD 26-04 default). EchelonGraph holds no SSVC assessment of this CVE from CISA: none of these inputs is from Vulnrichment. EchelonGraph applied CISA's decision table to them; CISA publishes SSVC inputs and the table, not a decision for each CVE.
Action: A fix is available. Apply it within your standard update timelines at low or medium mission impact and sooner than that at high.
EPSS PROB
81%
EPSS %ILE
99th
KEV
Not listed

What the EG score is made of (scorer v4.0: the three questions the 0–10 score mixes, published apart · methodology)

The EG score (8.9): severity, escalated by confirmed exploitation. This CVE's 8.9 is EPSS's lift toward 9.0 from its impact severity (EG Severity, CVSS 7.3 HIGH): a likelihood of exploitation, not impact.

EG Severity
7.3 HIGHCVSS-B, impact only: no KEV listing, EPSS or EG-KEV tier raises it.NVD CVSS v3 · CVSS v3.0 or v3.1
EG Likelihood
81% within 30 daysSource: FIRST EPSS (model v2026.06.15, score date 2026-10-21). FIRST's exploitation probability, not an EchelonGraph model.
Confirmed exploitation
None on record (CISA KEV, EG-KEV Tier 1)Reported apart from the likelihood: an observed fact, not a probability.
EG Priority
SSVC Track* at medium mission impactTrack at low, Track* at medium and Attend at high mission impact.CISA BOD 26-04: 14 days if the affected system is publicly exposed; Fix on system upgrade if it is not.Each input and its source: the SSVC and BOD 26-04 blocks below.

SSVC (CISA's decision table, applied by EchelonGraph)Track at low, Track* at medium and Attend at high mission impact.

A fix is available. Apply it within your standard update timelines at low or medium mission impact and sooner than that at high.

Exploitation public PoC (exploit code on record) · Automatable no (CISA's BOD 26-04 default) · Technical impact total (CISA's BOD 26-04 default). EchelonGraph holds no SSVC assessment of this CVE from CISA: none of these inputs is from Vulnrichment. EchelonGraph applied CISA's decision table to them; CISA publishes SSVC inputs and the table, not a decision for each CVE. Mission impact is CISA's Mission & Well-being decision point, and only you can judge it. CISA's table makes it high when Mission Prevalence is Essential — the vulnerable component "directly provides capabilities that constitute at least one MEF for at least one entity" (MEF: mission essential function) — or when Public Well-Being Impact is Irreversible: "multiple fatalities are likely", the cyber-physical system "is likely lost or destroyed", "extreme or serious externalities" are imposed on other parties, or social systems such as elections or the financial grid "are destabilized and potentially collapse". CISA's decision table

BOD 26-04 (CISA's remediation timeline, Table 1)14 days if the affected system is publicly exposed; Fix on system upgrade if it is not.

In CISA KEV no (CISA's KEV catalog) · Automatable no (CISA's BOD 26-04 default) · Technical impact total (CISA's BOD 26-04 default). Where an input reads “CISA's BOD 26-04 default”, no one has published it for this CVE, and CISA's implementation guidance says: “If “Automatable” and “Technical Impact” information items about a CVE ID are not available and the CVE ID is not in the KEV Catalog, CISA will treat its values as “no” and “total,” respectively, until CISA or a third party provides metadata about the CVE ID. CISA will always provide the Vulnrichment data for a CVE ID listed in the KEV Catalog.” Whether your system is publicly exposed is yours to answer. BOD 26-04 binds US Federal Civilian Executive Branch agencies; for anyone else it is CISA's published timeline, a reference rather than an obligation. The directive · how EchelonGraph applies it

Published

April 7, 2016

Last Modified

June 17, 2026

Vendor Advisories for CVE-2016-2098(3)

These vendors published their own advisory mentioning this CVE — often with vendor-specific remediation steps + affected product lists not in NVD.

Patch Availability(3)

Vendor / EcosystemFix (by version range) / PatchReleasedSource
redhatruby193-rubygem-activesupport-1:3.2.8-6.el72016-03-15redhat
redhatrh-ror41-rubygem-actionview-0:4.1.5-5.el72016-03-15redhat
redhatror40-rubygem-activesupport-1:4.0.2-4.el72016-03-15redhat

Patches are aggregated from vendor advisories (Red Hat, Microsoft, Cisco, GitHub) and package ecosystems (OSV, GHSA). Multiple rows for the same upstream release have been deduplicated.

Affected Packages

(7 across 7 ecosystems)
Debian:11(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
rails—
  • every version up to 2:4.2.5.2-1: fixed in 2:4.2.5.2-1
—
Debian:12(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
rails—
  • every version up to 2:4.2.5.2-1: fixed in 2:4.2.5.2-1
—
Debian:13(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
rails—
  • every version up to 2:4.2.5.2-1: fixed in 2:4.2.5.2-1
—
Debian:14(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
rails—
  • every version up to 2:4.2.5.2-1: fixed in 2:4.2.5.2-1
—
Debian:7(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
ruby-actionpack-3.23.2.6-6, 3.2.6-6+deb7u1, 3.2.6-6+deb7u2
  • every version up to 3.2.6-6+deb7u3: fixed in 3.2.6-6+deb7u3
—
Debian:8(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
rails2:4.1.8-1, 2:4.1.8-1+deb8u1
  • every version up to 2:4.1.8-1+deb8u2: fixed in 2:4.1.8-1+deb8u2
—
RubyGems(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
actionpack4.2.0 ... 4.2.5.rc2 (15 versions)
  • 3.0.0 up to 3.2.22.2: fixed in 3.2.22.2
  • 4.0.0 up to 4.1.14.2: fixed in 4.1.14.2
  • 4.2.0 up to 4.2.5.2: fixed in 4.2.5.2
—

Weakness Classification(1)

MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 6× in last 7d / 21× in last 30d)

Each row is a time one of our pipelines fetched, updated or re-scored this CVE. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. An arrow marks a change the record states ("CVSS v3 → 9.1"); EPSS and GHSA rows show the values recorded at that time, not what changed (EPSS values are rounded; hover one for the exact figures). Most recent first.

A repeat, a row identical to one the same pipeline wrote less than 10 seconds earlier, is not a separate refresh and is not counted. 17 repeat rows among the latest 100 are merged into the row they repeat.

  1. 2026-10-23 16:26 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  2. 2026-10-22 08:20 UTCEG score recompute
  3. 2026-10-22 08:20 UTCVendor advisory
  4. 2026-10-21 16:26 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  5. 2026-10-18 10:52 UTCEG score recompute
  6. 2026-10-17 16:26 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  7. 2026-10-14 16:27 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  8. 2026-10-12 20:44 UTCEG score recompute
  9. 2026-10-12 01:08 UTCEG score recompute
  10. 2026-10-09 20:01 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  11. 2026-10-08 19:56 UTCOSV refresh
  12. 2026-10-07 23:40 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  13. 2026-10-06 15:11 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  14. 2026-10-05 17:38 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  15. 2026-10-04 23:17 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  16. 2026-10-01 19:43 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  17. 2026-09-30 14:58 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  18. 2026-09-30 09:12 UTCEG score recompute
  19. 2026-09-27 13:40 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  20. 2026-09-26 15:53 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  21. 2026-09-24 13:59 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  22. 2026-09-19 02:06 UTCOSV refresh
  23. 2026-09-18 19:22 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  24. 2026-09-12 14:55 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  25. 2026-09-10 09:26 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
Show 58 more
  1. 2026-08-31 05:49 UTCOSV refresh
  2. 2026-08-30 19:12 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  3. 2026-08-26 14:41 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  4. 2026-08-21 23:44 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  5. 2026-08-19 16:59 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  6. 2026-08-16 02:09 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  7. 2026-08-15 01:25 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  8. 2026-08-14 13:24 UTCOSV refresh
  9. 2026-08-12 13:46 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  10. 2026-08-11 13:36 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  11. 2026-08-06 13:42 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  12. 2026-08-02 02:22 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  13. 2026-07-30 16:23 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  14. 2026-07-30 01:54 UTCOSV refresh
  15. 2026-07-30 01:26 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  16. 2026-07-28 15:31 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  17. 2026-07-26 14:50 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  18. 2026-07-25 14:13 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  19. 2026-07-23 01:22 UTCEG score recompute▲ 1.60
  20. 2026-07-22 22:01 UTCEG score recompute
  21. 2026-07-22 14:04 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  22. 2026-07-20 17:03 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  23. 2026-07-16 16:59 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  24. 2026-07-15 01:56 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  25. 2026-07-13 06:09 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  26. 2026-07-12 11:07 UTCOSV refresh
  27. 2026-07-09 19:05 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  28. 2026-07-04 06:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  29. 2026-07-01 15:02 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  30. 2026-06-27 03:05 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  31. 2026-06-25 13:47 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  32. 2026-06-23 21:30 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  33. 2026-06-23 16:30 UTCOSV refresh
  34. 2026-06-21 01:57 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  35. 2026-06-17 17:50 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  36. 2026-06-15 17:45 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 81% · 99th percentile
  37. 2026-06-13 22:57 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 87% · 99th percentile
  38. 2026-06-12 23:09 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 87% · 99th percentile
  39. 2026-06-11 13:57 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 87% · 99th percentile
  40. 2026-06-10 22:15 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 87% · 99th percentile
  41. 2026-06-10 13:18 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 87% · 99th percentile
  42. 2026-06-08 14:14 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 87% · 99th percentile
  43. 2026-06-07 15:22 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 87% · 99th percentile
  44. 2026-06-06 21:59 UTCOSV refresh
  45. 2026-06-05 22:44 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 87% · 99th percentile
  46. 2026-06-04 13:10 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 87% · 99th percentile
  47. 2026-06-02 20:10 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 83% · 99th percentile
  48. 2026-05-31 22:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 83% · 99th percentile
  49. 2026-05-31 00:14 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 83% · 99th percentile
  50. 2026-05-29 13:41 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 84% · 99th percentile
  51. 2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 84% · 99th percentile
  52. 2026-05-22 21:15 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 84% · 99th percentile
  53. 2026-05-22 20:59 UTCEG score recompute
  54. 2026-05-22 20:59 UTCVendor advisory
  55. 2026-05-21 22:40 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 84% · 99th percentile
  56. 2026-05-21 22:36 UTCOSV refresh
  57. 2026-05-20 22:37 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 84% · 99th percentile
  58. 2026-05-18 21:30 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 84% · 99th percentile

Publicly available exploits

(7 references)

Public exploit code is referenced for this CVE (1 Metasploit module, 1 Exploit-DB entry, 5 GitHub PoCs). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly.

  • Exploit-DBEDB-40086✓ verified
    Published Jul 11, 2016

    Ruby on Rails ActionPack Inline ERB - Code Execution (Metasploit)

    Open source ↗
  • Metasploitexploit/multi/http/rails_actionpack_inline_exec✓ verified
    Published Jul 7, 2016

    Ruby on Rails ActionPack Inline ERB Code Execution

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCShakun8/CVE-2016-2098
    Published Sep 24, 2022

    CVE-2016-2098 POC

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCj4k0m/CVE-2016-2098
    Published Aug 31, 2021

    Remote code execution vulnerability in Ruby-on-Rails when using render on user-supplied data.

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCDanielHemmati/CVE-2016-2098-my-first-exploit
    Published Jul 27, 2020

    This exploit is remote code execution vulnerability in Ruby-on-Rails when using render on user-supplied data

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoC0x00-0x00/CVE-2016-2098
    Published Feb 9, 2018

    Ruby On Rails unrestricted render() exploit

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoChderms/dh-CVE_2016_2098
    Published Mar 1, 2016

    Proof of concept showing how CVE-2016-2098 leads to remote code execution

    Open source ↗

Frequently asked(5)

What is CVE-2016-2098?
CVE-2016-2098 is a high-severity vulnerability; its CVE record was published on April 7, 2016. Action Pack in Ruby on Rails before 3.2.22.2, 4.x before 4.1.14.2, and 4.2.x before 4.2.5.2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary Ruby code by leveraging an application's unrestricted use of the render method.
When was CVE-2016-2098 made public?
CVE-2016-2098 was made public on February 29, 2016: that is the date its CVE record's CNA, Red Hat, Inc., gives for when the vulnerability was made public. The CVE record itself was published on April 7, 2016. EchelonGraph's copy of the record carries a last-modified date of June 17, 2026; the record at its source may have been updated since.
Is CVE-2016-2098 actively exploited?
CVE-2016-2098 is not currently on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. EchelonGraph's EG-KEV model places it in Tier 2 (Weaponized), which is not evidence of exploitation: a Metasploit module exists for it, and Exploit-DB marks a public exploit for it as verified. EchelonGraph does not test whether exploit code works. FIRST EPSS estimates a 81% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days (99th percentile of EPSS-scored CVEs).
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-2098?
CVE-2016-2098 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.3 (NVD). EchelonGraph synthesises NVD + CISA KEV + FIRST EPSS + GHSA into a combined EG score of 8.9 (HIGH).
How do I remediate CVE-2016-2098?
A fix for CVE-2016-2098 is available: update to the fixed version the vendor names in its advisory. The vendor advisories EchelonGraph has for CVE-2016-2098 are linked in the Vendor Advisories panel on this page.

Dependency Blast Radius

See which npm, PyPI, Go, and Maven packages are affected by CVE-2016-2098

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