CVE-2008-1638
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedNik Sharpener Pro, possibly 2.0, uses world-writable permissions for plug-in files, which allows local users to gain privileges by replacing a plug-in with a Trojan horse.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceNik Sharpener Pro uses world-writable permissions for plug-in files, allowing any local user to modify or replace these files. A local attacker can substitute a legitimate plug-in with a malicious one (Trojan horse) to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the user running the application.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 2.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- Single
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:L/AC:L/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Verify Nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 installationSearch for 'Nik Sharpener Pro' in installed programs or check common installation directories such as C:\Program Files\Nik Software or C:\Program Files (x86)\Nik Software on Windows, or /Applications/Nik Software on macOSAffected if The application is installed and version 2.0 is present
-
Locate plug-in filesFind the plug-in directory within the Nik Sharpener Pro installation folder - typically named 'Plugins', 'Plug-Ins', 'filters' or located within the application bundleAffected if Plug-in files with extensions such as .8bf, .plugin, .dll, or proprietary formats exist in the application directory
-
Check file permissions on plug-in filesUse command line to inspect permissions: On Windows, run 'icacls <plugin_file>' or check Properties > Security. On Unix/macOS, run 'ls -la <plugin_directory>' to view permission bitsAffected if Permissions show 'Everyone' or 'World' with Write/modify access, or permission bits contain 'w' for others (e.g., rwxrwxrwx or mode 777)
-
Verify world-writable bitCheck if the plug-in files or their parent directory allow write access by any user on the system - look for permission flags indicating write for 'other' users or 'world'Affected if The file permissions allow any local user (not just administrator or owner) to modify, replace, or delete plug-in files
A system is affected if Nik Sharpener Pro version 2.0 is installed and its plug-in files have permissions allowing write access by any local user (world-writable permissions such as 777 or equivalent).
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataChange file permissions on all Nik Sharpiner Pro plug-in files to remove world-writable access (e.g., chmod 755 or more restrictive ownership), ensuring only authorized users or the application process can modify plug-ins.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-1638 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2008-1638 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data