Authorization bypass from user-controlled URL in redirect_to in Rails

High Risk cross-site-scripting
rubyrailsredirect_toopen-redirectauthorization-bypassweb

What it is

Authorization bypass and open redirect vulnerability in Ruby on Rails applications where redirect_to uses untrusted user parameters for the destination without validating host, path, or scheme, potentially exposing restricted pages or enabling phishing attacks by redirecting users to attacker-controlled sites.

ℹī¸ Configuration Fix

Configuration changes required - see explanation below.

💡 Explanation

ℹī¸ Configuration Fix

Configuration changes required - see explanation below.

💡 Explanation

Why it happens

User-controlled parameters are passed directly to redirect_to without validation or allowlisting.

Root causes

Unvalidated Redirect Parameters

User-controlled parameters are passed directly to redirect_to without validation or allowlisting.

Missing URL Validation

No validation of host, path, or scheme in redirect URLs, allowing external redirects.

Fixes

1

Use Named Routes and Relative Paths

Prefer named routes or relative paths with only_path: true to prevent external redirects.

2

Validate and Allowlist Redirect URLs

For external redirects, parse and validate URLs against an allowed host list and reject unsafe schemes.

3

Use Rails URL Helpers for Internal Navigation

Map user inputs to predefined route helpers instead of constructing URLs from user data.

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