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FoswikiApplication

CVE-2013-1666

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-11-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.1.8 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
Foswiki before 1.1.8 contains a code injection vulnerability in the MAKETEXT macro.

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 confidence

Foswiki before version 1.1.8 contains a code injection vulnerability in the MAKETEXT macro. The MAKETEXT macro is used for internationalization and localization support in Foswiki. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to inject and execute arbitrary code by crafting malicious input to the macro.

MitigationUpgrade to Foswiki 1.1.8 or later to remediate this vulnerability. If immediate upgrading is not feasible, consider disabling the MAKETEXT macro or implementing input validation filters until the upgrade can be performed.

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
FoswikiApplication
Affected:>= 1.0.0, < 1.1.8

CVSS 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
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Locate the Foswiki version file
    Check the lib/Foswiki.pm file or the VERSION file in the Foswiki root directory for the installed version number
    Affected if The version shown is greater than or equal to 1.0.0 but less than 1.1.8
  2. Verify the MAKETEXT macro is available
    Confirm the MAKETEXT macro is installed by checking for its presence in the Foswiki installation, typically in the system web or within the core Perl modules under lib/Foswiki/Macros/
    Affected if The MAKETEXT macro is present in the installation (it is a core internationalization feature shipped with affected versions)
  3. Confirm internationalization is enabled
    Check the Foswiki configuration (lib/LocalSite.cfg) to verify that the internationalization and localization features are enabled, which activates the MAKETEXT macro functionality
    Affected if Internationalization support is turned on (this is the default configuration in vulnerable versions)

Your environment is affected if the installed Foswiki version is 1.0.0 through 1.1.7 and the MAKETEXT macro (a core i18n feature) is available, which it is by default in those versions.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.1.8 or later
Fixed in 1.1.8
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Foswiki 1.1.8 or later to remediate this vulnerability. If immediate upgrading is not feasible, consider disabling the MAKETEXT macro or implementing input validation filters until the upgrade can be performed.

Recommended fix High confidence

Foswiki 1.1.8 (or latest 1.1.x stable release)

  1. 1. Back up your current Foswiki installation including all data, configuration files, and working directories.
  2. 2. Download Foswiki version 1.1.8 (or the latest stable 1.1.x release) from the official Foswiki download page at foswiki.org.
  3. 3. Extract the new archive to a temporary location.
  4. 4. Replace the core Foswiki files in your installation directory with the new versions, preserving your existing configuration files (LocalLib.cfg, etc.) and data directories.
  5. 5. Review the release notes for any required migration steps or configuration changes between your current version and 1.1.8.
  6. 6. Clear any cached templates and topic data by removing the work/ directory contents.
  7. 7. Restart your web server to ensure all new code is loaded.
  8. 8. Verify the installation by logging in and testing core functionality.
Caveat Minor: Review release notes for any configuration or template changes; standard upgrade precautions apply for production systems

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Foswiki Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,380
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,808.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2013-1666 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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