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Medium

DotNetNuke Default Machine Key Exposure

  • Disclosed: 14.05.2022
  • Updated: 11.10.2026 11:22

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.

Affected software

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PlatformPackageVulnerable versionsFixed in
.NET (NuGet) DotNetNuke.Core < 4.8.2 4.8.2

References

CVSS score -
Weakness (CWE)
CWE-453
Platform
.NET (NuGet)
Package
DotNetNuke.Core
Disclosed
14.05.2022
Updated
11.10.2026 11:22

Sources and licenses

OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-grw3-hjjm-5cjm - CC BY 4.0

Vulnerability history: DotNetNuke.Core

All published vulnerabilities of this package (.NET (NuGet)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.

All (36) in the archive
Total entries
36
First → latest
10.2018 04.2026
Without a fix
3
Exploited in attacks
3

Severity breakdown

  • Critical 3
  • High 10
  • Medium 21
  • Low 2

Disclosures per year

Severity:
  1. DotNetNuke.Core has stored cross-site-scripting (XSS) via SVG upload
    High · 8.0 CVE-2026-40321 < 10.2.2 10.2.2
  2. DotNetNuke.Core Vulnerable to Stored XSS via Module Title
    Critical · 9.1 CVE-2026-24838 < 9.13.10, >= 10.0.0, < 10.2.0 9.13.10, 10.2.0
  3. DotNetNuke.Core Vulnerable to Stored XSS in Module Deletion Confirmation Modal
    High · 7.6 CVE-2026-24837 >= 9.0.0, <= 9.13.9, >= 10.0.0, < 10.2.0 10.2.0
  4. DotNetNuke.Core Vulnerable to Stored XSS in Scheduler LogNotes
    High · 7.6 CVE-2026-24836 >= 9.0.0, <= 9.13.9, >= 10.0.0, < 10.02.0 10.02.0
  5. DNN Vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) in the Prompt module
    Critical · 9.0 CVE-2025-59545 < 10.1.0 10.1.0
  6. DNN Path Traversal via Zip Slip
    High · 8.8 CVE-2020-5187 < 9.5.0 9.5.0
  7. DotNetNuke Default Machine Key Exposure this entry
    Medium CVE-2008-6540 < 4.8.2 4.8.2
  8. Inadequate Encryption Strength in DotNetNuke
    High · 7.5 Exploited in attacks CVE-2018-15811 >= 9.2.0, < 9.2.2 9.2.2
  9. Insufficient Entropy in DotNetNuke
    High · 7.5 CVE-2018-15812 >= 9.2.0, < 9.2.2 9.2.2
  10. Insufficient Entropy in DotNetNuke
    High · 7.5 CVE-2018-18326 < 9.3.0 9.3.0
  11. Inadequate Encryption Strength in DotNetNuke
    High · 7.5 Exploited in attacks CVE-2018-18325 < 9.3.0 9.3.0
  12. DNN (aka DotNetNuke) has Remote Code Execution via a cookie
    High · 8.8 Exploited in attacks CVE-2017-9822 < 9.1.1 9.1.1
  13. The installation wizard in DotNetNuke (DNN) allows privilege escalation
    Critical · 9.8 CVE-2015-2794 < 7.4.1 7.4.1
  14. High severity vulnerability that affects DotNetNuke.Core
    High · 7.5 CVE-2017-0929 < 9.2.0 9.2.0

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