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WebminApplication

CVE-2018-8712

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-03-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
An issue was discovered in Webmin 1.840 and 1.880 when the default Yes setting of "Can view any file as a log file" is enabled. As a result of weak default configuration settings, limited users have full access rights to the underlying Unix system files, allowing the user to read sensitive data from the local system (using Local File Include) such as the '/etc/shadow' file via a "GET /syslog/save_log.cgi?view=1&file=/etc/shadow" request.

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 · high confidence

Webmin versions 1.840 and 1.880 contain a Local File Include (LFI) vulnerability where the default setting 'Can view any file as a log file' allows authenticated users with limited privileges to read arbitrary system files by manipulating the file parameter in /syslog/save_log.cgi, enabling access to sensitive files like /etc/shadow.

MitigationDisable the 'Can view any file as a log file' setting in Webmin's configuration, or upgrade to a patched version of Webmin that addresses this weak default configuration.

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
WebminApplication
Affected:= 1.840= 1.880

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:3.0/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. Confirm Webmin is installed
    Look for the Webmin service running on your system, typically on port 10000, or check for Webmin directories in /etc/webmin or /usr/share/webmin
    Affected if Webmin is not installed on the system
  2. Identify the installed Webmin version
    Check the Webmin version via the web interface (System -> Webmin Configuration -> About Webmin), or look for a version file in the Webmin installation directory
    Affected if The installed version is 1.840 or 1.880 specifically
  3. Verify if the vulnerable CGI script exists
    Check if /syslog/save_log.cgi exists in your Webmin CGI-bin directory, typically found in /usr/libexec/webmin/ or /usr/lib/webmin/
    Affected if The save_log.cgi file is present in the syslog module directory
  4. Check if the weak default setting is enabled
    In Webmin, go to Webmin Configuration -> Webmin Users -> select a user -> look for the 'Can view any file as a log file' setting under syslog module permissions, or examine the Webmin configuration file for this setting
    Affected if The 'Can view any file as a log file' setting is enabled for any user account

A system is affected if it runs Webmin version 1.840 or 1.880 AND has the 'Can view any file as a log file' setting enabled, allowing any authenticated user to read arbitrary files via the syslog/save_log.cgi endpoint.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Disable the 'Can view any file as a log file' setting in Webmin's configuration, or upgrade to a patched version of Webmin that addresses this weak default configuration.

Recommended fix High confidence

Webmin 1.890 or later (preferably latest stable release)

  1. 1. Check current Webmin version by logging into Webmin and going to Webmin Configuration > About, or run: cat /etc/webmin/version
  2. 2. Backup the Webmin configuration directory: cp -r /etc/webmin /etc/webmin.backup
  3. 3. Download the fixed Webmin version (1.890 or later) from www.webmin.com/download.html or update via your package manager
  4. 4. Stop Webmin service: /etc/init.d/webmin stop
  5. 5. Install the updated package (for RPM-based systems: rpm -Uvh webmin-X.XXX.rpm; for Debian: dpkg -i webmin_X.XXX.deb)
  6. 6. Start Webmin service: /etc/init.d/webmin start
  7. 7. Log in to Webmin and navigate to Webmin Configuration > Users > [select user] > Permissions to verify the 'Can view any file as a log file' setting is disabled or set to a safe value
  8. 8. Test that the path traversal is fixed by attempting: GET /syslog/save_log.cgi?view=1&file=/etc/shadow (should be denied)
Caveat Upgrading Webmin may require configuration adjustments; review release notes for changes between 1.840/1.880 and your target version

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

Fix this in Webmin Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
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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-2018-8712 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