# CVE-2008-5147: Path traversal in n/a

> Local attackers can overwrite arbitrary files via symlink attacks on temporary files in docvert, requiring local access.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.9 (`AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 18 Nov 2008
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-vggf-rh6p-w6xj

## What is CVE-2008-5147?

CVE-2008-5147 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in n/a, published on 18 Nov 2008. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

test-pipe-to-pyodconverter.org.sh in docvert 2.4 allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on the /tmp/outer.odt temporary file.

Weakness: CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2008-5147?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Holloway Docvert.

## How do I fix CVE-2008-5147?

No fix has been published for CVE-2008-5147 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2008-5147 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2008-5147 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2008-5147 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2008-5147 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in n/a, published on 18 Nov 2008. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2008-5147 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. 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-2008-5147/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-5147/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2008-5147
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2008-5147
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2008-5147

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-5147/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.