Answer in brief
CVE-2019-16676 records a Critical severity (CVSS 9.8) vulnerability in Improper Input Validation in simple_form. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. The current feed maps simple_form (rubygems). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.
Analysis pending evidence review
HOL Guard separates source facts from reviewed analysis. See the methodology.
CVSS is 9.8. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Treat this as a source-backed prioritization signal, not a statement about your environment.
Analysis status
Analysis pending evidence review
Factual feed record only; HOL analysis is not approved for indexing. Read the methodology.
The current feed maps simple_form (rubygems). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.
| Package | Affected range | Fixed version |
|---|---|---|
| simple_formrubygems | >=0 <5.0.0 | 5.0.0 |
Published upstream
Sep 30, 2019
Evidence: source:osv:source_dates:source-dates:recordSource modified
Aug 27, 2026
Evidence: source:osv:source_dates:source-dates:recordFirst seen by HOL
Aug 7, 2026
## Incorrect Access Control in `file_method?` in `lib/simple_form/form_builder.rb`; a user-supplied string is invoked as a method call ### Impact For pages that build a form using user input, it is possible for an attacker to manipulate the input and send any method present in the form object. For example: ```erb <%= simple_form_for @user do |f| %> <%= f.label @user_supplied_string %> ... <% end %> ``` The string provided in the variable `@user_supplied_string` would be invoked as a method call inside the `@user` object (unless the string contains any of the following: `password`, `time_zone`, `country`, `email`, `phone` and `url`). By manipulation that input, an attacker could do any of the following: - Code execution (call actions like `#destroy`) - Denial of Service (by executing a computation intensive method) - Information Disclosure (check the presence of methods, leak user information) ### Patches The problem was fixed in version `5.0`. Although it's a major version, there should be no issues with upgrading for `4.x`. The reason it was released in a major version is that the configuration `SimpleForm.file_methods` was deprecated in order to fix the problem. ### Workarounds The issue only happens with pages that build forms based on user-provided input. If your application doesn't do that, you're not affected. A workaround is to explicitly pass which type you want for an input since the issue lies on Simple Form's automatically discovery of input types. This can be done using the `as` option, like the following: ```erb <%= form.input :avatar, as: :file %> ``` ### References [TDB] ### For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory: * Open an issue in [https://github.com/plataformatec/simple_form](https://github.com/plataformatec/simple_form) * Email us at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.