CVE-2008-6548 in MoinMoin
Summary
by MITRE
The rst parser (parser/text_rst.py) in MoinMoin 1.6.1 does not check the ACL of an included page, which allows attackers to read unauthorized include files via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/03/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-6548 resides within the rst parser component of MoinMoin version 1.6.1, specifically in the file parser/text_rst.py. This represents a critical access control flaw that undermines the security model of the wiki platform by failing to validate permissions when processing included pages. The vulnerability manifests when the system processes reStructuredText markup that includes references to other pages, creating a pathway for unauthorized information disclosure.
The technical flaw stems from the parser's failure to implement proper access control checks before including external content. When a user creates a reStructuredText document that references another page using include directives, the system should verify that the requesting user has appropriate permissions to access the target page. However, the parser in question bypasses this validation step entirely, allowing any authenticated user to potentially access content that should be restricted based on access control lists. This represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege and demonstrates a classic path traversal or inclusion vulnerability pattern.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it can enable attackers to gather sensitive data from restricted sections of the wiki. An attacker could craft malicious reStructuredText documents that include pages containing confidential information, user credentials, system configurations, or other sensitive data that would normally be protected by access controls. This vulnerability is particularly dangerous in environments where wikis serve as collaboration platforms for organizations with varying levels of user permissions and sensitive content repositories. The attack vector remains unspecified in the CVE description, suggesting that multiple methods could potentially exploit this weakness.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which describes improper access control mechanisms, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1005, which involves data from local system repositories. The flaw essentially creates a backdoor through which unauthorized users can bypass the normal access control enforcement points that should protect content within the wiki system. Organizations using MoinMoin 1.6.1 and earlier versions are particularly at risk, as the vulnerability exists in the core parsing functionality that processes user-generated content. The lack of proper input validation and access control checks in the text processing pipeline creates a persistent security weakness that could be exploited repeatedly until the underlying code is patched or updated.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of the MoinMoin software to version 1.6.2 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for this vulnerability. Administrators should also implement additional monitoring of user-generated content and access control violations to detect potential exploitation attempts. Network-level controls and web application firewalls can provide additional layers of protection, though the primary defense remains the software update. Organizations should conduct comprehensive audits of their wiki content and access control configurations to identify any potential unauthorized access that may have occurred before the patch was applied.