# CVE-2008-6603: MoinMoin Access Restrictions Bypassed due to improper ACL enforcement

> Remote attackers can bypass access restrictions in MoinMoin Wiki when hierarchical ACLs are enabled, potentially accessing unauthorized content.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.8 (`AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P`)
- **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:** 3 Apr 2009
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-wc8w-gh5m-62fv, PYSEC-2009-13

## What is CVE-2008-6603?

CVE-2008-6603 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in n/a, published on 3 Apr 2009. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

MoinMoin 1.6.2 and 1.7 does not properly enforce ACL checks when acl_hierarchic is set to True, which might allow remote attackers to bypass intended access restrictions, a different vulnerability than CVE-2008-1937.

Weakness: CWE-264

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2008-6603?

5 open source packages ship an affected version, including moin. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `moin` | PyPI | All versions | 1.6.3, 1.7.1 |
| `moin` | PyPI | All versions | 1.6.3 |
| `moin` | PyPI | All versions | 1.6.3 |
| `moin` | PyPI | From 1.7 | 1.7.1 |
| `moin` | PyPI | From 1.7 | 1.7.1 |

Products: Moinmo Moinmoin.

## How do I fix CVE-2008-6603?

Upgrade moin to a fixed version for your release line: 1.6.3 or 1.7.1.

## Is CVE-2008-6603 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2008-6603 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2020-15275](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-15275/): malicious SVG attachment causing stored XSS vulnerability in MoinMoin (high 8.7)
- [CVE-2009-4762](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-4762/): MoinMoin Improper Access Control vulnerability (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2010-0669](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-0669/): MoinMoin improper sanitizes user profiles (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2010-0717](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-0717/): MoinMoin has improper default configuration (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2010-0668](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-0668/): MoinMoin has multiple vulnerabilities related to superuser list, xmlrpc and OpenID configuration (medium 6.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2008-6603 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2008-6603 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in n/a, published on 3 Apr 2009. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2008-6603 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- moin (PyPI): affected all versions; fixed in 1.6.3, 1.7.1
- moin (PyPI): affected all versions; fixed in 1.6.3
- moin (PyPI): affected all versions; fixed in 1.6.3
- moin (PyPI): affected from 1.7; fixed in 1.7.1
- moin (PyPI): affected from 1.7; fixed in 1.7.1

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-2008-6603/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-6603/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2008-6603
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2008-6603
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2008-6603

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-6603/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.