CVE-2008-6548
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 · uneditedThe 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.
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 confidenceThe rst parser in MoinMoin 1.6.1 (parser/text_rst.py) fails to enforce Access Control Lists when processing page includes. When rendering reStructuredText content that references another page via include directives, the parser retrieves and renders the included content without first checking whether the requesting user has permission to access that page, leading to unauthorized information disclosure.
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= 1.6.1CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
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.
-
Identify MoinMoin installation and versionCheck the installed MoinMoin version by examining the version file or using the package manager (e.g., pip show moin, or check setup.py/version.py in the installation directory). The vulnerability affects only version 1.6.1 specifically.Affected if The installed version is exactly 1.6.1 (not later versions like 1.7+) and the RST parser is enabled.
-
Verify RST parser is enabledCheck the MoinMoin configuration file (wikiconfig.py or moin.py) for the parser settings. Look for text_rst in the parser list or examine whether the parser/text_rst.py file exists in the MoinMoin installation directory.Affected if The RST parser (text_rst) is loaded or loadable in the MoinMoin configuration.
-
Confirm ACLs are in use on sensitive pagesReview the ACL settings on wiki pages by examining the #acl directive in page files (typically in the data/pages/ directory) or via the wiki web interface admin interface if available.Affected if Sensitive pages have ACL restrictions configured that should prevent unauthorized access.
-
Test for unauthorized include directive accessCreate a test reStructuredText page with an include directive referencing a protected page (e.g., .. include:: ProtectedPage) and attempt to view it as a user without read permissions on that protected page.Affected if The include directive successfully renders content from a page the test user lacks permission to read.
A user is affected if they run MoinMoin version 1.6.1 with the RST parser enabled, and can access included content from pages they should not have permission to view.
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 dataUpgrade to a patched version of MoinMoin (1.7 or later). If upgrading is not immediately feasible, restrict or disable the RST parser functionality and review ACL configurations on sensitive wiki pages to limit exposure.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-6548 — 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-2008-6548 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