# CVE-2008-0196: Path traversal in n/a

> Remote attackers with low privileges can read or modify arbitrary files via directory traversal in WordPress admin scripts.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.0 (`AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 10 Jan 2008
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2008-0196, GHSA-752f-j58r-mc8q

## What is CVE-2008-0196?

CVE-2008-0196 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Wordpress Wordpress, published on 10 Jan 2008. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Multiple directory traversal vulnerabilities in WordPress 2.0.11 and earlier allow remote attackers to read arbitrary files via a .. (dot dot) in (1) the page parameter to certain PHP scripts under wp-admin/ or (2) the import parameter to wp-admin/admin.php, as demonstrated by discovering the full path via a request for the \..\..\wp-config pathname; and allow remote attackers to modify arbitrary files via a .. (dot dot) in the file parameter to wp-admin/templates.php.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2008-0196?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Wordpress Wordpress.

## How do I fix CVE-2008-0196?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2008-0196 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2008-0196 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Wordpress Wordpress

- [CVE-2026-63030](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-63030/): WordPress Core Interpretation Conflict (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-87902](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-87902/): WordPress Core Remote File Inclusion (high 8.1, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-60137](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-60137/): WordPress Core SQL Injection (medium 5.9, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2012-2399](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-2399/): Cross-site scripting in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2012-2400](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-2400/): Other in n/a (critical 10.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2008-0196 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2008-0196 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Wordpress Wordpress, published on 10 Jan 2008. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2008-0196 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Wordpress Wordpress. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-0196/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-0196/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2008-0196
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2008-0196
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2008-0196

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-0196/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.