# CVE-2008-1396: Plone credentials stored in session cookie

> Remote attackers can hijack user accounts by sniffing network traffic due to weak HMAC-SHA1 cookie generation using invariant data.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.3 (`AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 20 Mar 2008
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-hjp5-hv33-q58g, PYSEC-2026-732

## What is CVE-2008-1396?

CVE-2008-1396 is a medium-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 20 Mar 2008. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Plone CMS 3.x uses invariant data (a client username and a server secret) when calculating an HMAC-SHA1 value for an authentication cookie, which makes it easier for remote attackers to gain permanent access to an account by sniffing the network.

Weakness: CWE-255

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2008-1396?

3 open source packages ship an affected version, including plone. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `plone` | PyPI | All versions to 3.1.7 | None |
| `plone` | PyPI | All versions to 3.1.7 | None |
| `plone` | PyPI | All versions to 3.1.7 | None |

Products: Plone Plone Cms.

## How do I fix CVE-2008-1396?

No fix has been published for CVE-2008-1396 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2008-1396 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2008-1396 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2008-1393](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-1393/): Plone Improper Session Management (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2008-1394](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-1394/): Plone CMS Improper Session Management (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2008-1395](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-1395/): Auth bypass in n/a (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2008-0164](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-0164/): Plone Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) (medium 4.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2008-1396 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2008-1396 is a medium-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 20 Mar 2008. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2008-1396 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- plone (PyPI): affected all versions up to 3.1.7; no fix listed
- plone (PyPI): affected all versions up to 3.1.7; no fix listed
- plone (PyPI): affected all versions up to 3.1.7; no fix listed

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-2008-1396/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-1396/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2008-1396
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2008-1396
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2008-1396

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-1396/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.