CVE-2020-25074 – CVE-2020-25074 is a directory traversal vulnera... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2020-25074?

CVE-2020-25074 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (CRITICAL). CVE-2020-25074 is a directory traversal vulnerability in MoinMoin's cache action that allows attackers who can upload attachments to execute arbitrary code remotely. This affects all MoinMoin installations through version 1.9.10. Attackers can exploit this to gain complete control of affected wiki servers.

📋 TL;DR

CVE-2020-25074 is a directory traversal vulnerability in MoinMoin's cache action that allows attackers who can upload attachments to execute arbitrary code remotely. This affects all MoinMoin installations through version 1.9.10. Attackers can exploit this to gain complete control of affected wiki servers.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

MoinMoin

Versions: All versions through 1.9.10

Operating Systems: All platforms running MoinMoin

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Requires attacker to have attachment upload capability, which may be restricted by wiki permissions.

📦 What is this software?

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Remote code execution leading to complete system compromise, data theft, lateral movement, and persistent backdoor installation.

🟠

Likely Case

Remote code execution resulting in wiki defacement, data exfiltration, or cryptocurrency mining malware deployment.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact if proper network segmentation and least privilege access controls prevent lateral movement from compromised wiki server.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - Internet-facing MoinMoin instances are directly exploitable by any attacker who can upload attachments.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal instances still vulnerable but require internal network access and attachment upload capability.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: LOW

Exploitation requires attachment upload capability but is straightforward once this access is obtained.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Versions after 1.9.10

Vendor Advisory: http://moinmo.in/SecurityFixes

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Backup wiki data. 2. Upgrade MoinMoin to version after 1.9.10. 3. Restart the wiki service. 4. Verify the fix by checking version.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable attachment uploads

all

Temporarily disable attachment upload functionality to prevent exploitation

Edit MoinMoin configuration to remove attachment permissions

Restrict cache directory permissions

linux

Set strict file permissions on cache directories to prevent traversal

chmod 700 /path/to/moin/cache
chown root:root /path/to/moin/cache

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement strict network segmentation to isolate MoinMoin server from critical systems
Deploy web application firewall (WAF) with directory traversal protection rules

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check MoinMoin version - if version <= 1.9.10, system is vulnerable

Check Version:

Check MoinMoin configuration or run: python -c "import MoinMoin; print(MoinMoin.__version__)"

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify MoinMoin version > 1.9.10 and test attachment upload functionality

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual cache directory access patterns
Suspicious file uploads with path traversal sequences
Unexpected process execution from wiki user

Network Indicators:

Outbound connections from wiki server to unknown destinations
Unusual HTTP requests containing '../' sequences

SIEM Query:

source="moinmoin.log" AND ("../" OR "..\\" OR "cache.py")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2020-25074

CVSS v3 Score: 9.8 (CRITICAL)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-22

Published: November 10, 2020

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

http://moinmo.in/SecurityFixes Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/moinwiki/moin-1.9/security/advisories/GHSA-52q8-877j-gghq Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/11/msg00020.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4787 Third Party Advisory
http://moinmo.in/SecurityFixes Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/moinwiki/moin-1.9/security/advisories/GHSA-52q8-877j-gghq Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/11/msg00020.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4787 Third Party Advisory

📤 Share & Export

📄 Export Markdown 📋 Export JSON

🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

If you're affected by CVE-2020-25074, you might also want to check these: