# CVE-2018-12976: Path traversal in n/a

> An attacker can achieve remote code execution on Go Doc Dot Org servers by exploiting directory traversal via crafted go-import tags.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 5 Jul 2018
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024

## What is CVE-2018-12976?

CVE-2018-12976 is a critical path traversal vulnerability in n/a, published on 5 Jul 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In Go Doc Dot Org (gddo) through 2018-06-27, an attacker could use specially crafted <go-import> tags in packages being fetched by gddo to cause a directory traversal and remote code execution.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-12976?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Godoc Go Doc Dot Org.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-12976?

No fix has been published for CVE-2018-12976 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2018-12976 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-12976 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-12976 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-12976 is a critical path traversal vulnerability in n/a, published on 5 Jul 2018. 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-2018-12976 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-2018-12976/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-12976/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-12976
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-12976
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-12976

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-12976/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.