CVE-2008-4394 Path traversal in n/a

Medium 6.9 Published 10 Oct 2008 Updated 7 Aug 2024

Local attackers can execute arbitrary code by placing malicious Python modules in the current working directory, affecting Gentoo Portage and related ebuilds.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Any signed-in user
Attackable: Local or same network only
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: None listed

What is CVE-2008-4394?

CVE-2008-4394 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in n/a, published on 10 Oct 2008. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

Official description

Multiple untrusted search path vulnerabilities in Portage before 2.1.4.5 include the current working directory in the Python search path, which allows local users to execute arbitrary code via a modified Python module that is loaded by the (1) ys-apps/portage, (2) net-mail/fetchmail, (3) app-editors/leo ebuilds, and other ebuilds.

Which versions are affected by CVE-2008-4394?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Gentoo Portage.

How do I fix CVE-2008-4394?

No fix has been published for CVE-2008-4394 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.

Is CVE-2008-4394 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2008-4394 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Sources

Also known as GHSA-wg82-w6jx-9hqg.