# CVE-2008-5221: Auth bypass in n/a

> Remote attackers can change the admin password without authentication, leading to full account takeover and privilege escalation.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 25 Nov 2008
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-h8mw-3q4j-45hm

## What is CVE-2008-5221?

CVE-2008-5221 is a high-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in n/a, published on 25 Nov 2008. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The account_save action in admin/userinfo.php in wPortfolio 0.3 and earlier does not require authentication and does not require knowledge of the original password, which allows remote attackers to change the admin account password via modified password and password_retype parameters.

Weakness: CWE-287 (Improper Authentication)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2008-5221?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Wportfolio Wportfolio.

## How do I fix CVE-2008-5221?

No fix has been published for CVE-2008-5221 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2008-5221 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2008-5221 exists.

Public exploit code:

- wPortfolio 0.3 - Admin Password Changing (exploitdb)

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2008-5220](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-5220/): File upload in n/a (critical 10.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2008-5221 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2008-5221 is a high-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in n/a, published on 25 Nov 2008. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2008-5221 exists.

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-2008-5221/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-5221/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2008-5221
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2008-5221
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2008-5221

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-5221/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.