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Parallels Plesk PanelApplication · Parallels

CVE-2011-4727

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2011-12-16
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The Server Administration Panel in Parallels Plesk Panel 10.2.0_build1011110331.18 does not properly validate string data that is intended for storage in an XML document, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (parsing error) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted REST URL parameter, as demonstrated by parameters to admin/ and certain other files.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

The Server Administration Panel in Parallels Plesk Panel 10.2.0 fails to properly validate string data before storage in XML documents. Remote attackers can inject crafted characters or content via REST URL parameters to admin/ and related endpoints, causing XML parsing failures (denial of service) or potentially achieving other unspecified impact through XML injection.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched version of Parallels Plesk Panel that addresses the XML input validation vulnerability, or implement input sanitization/WAF rules to filter malicious characters from REST URL parameters before XML processing.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Parallels Plesk PanelApplication
Affected:= 10.2.0_build1011110331.18

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check installed Plesk Panel version
    Run `plesk --version` or examine the file `/usr/local/psa/version` to identify the exact build number
    Affected if The version displayed is 10.2.0_build1011110331.18 exactly (this specific build is vulnerable)
  2. Confirm Server Administration Panel is accessible
    Verify the admin interface is reachable at the /admin/ endpoint on your Plesk server
    Affected if The Server Administration Panel REST endpoints (admin/ and related paths) are exposed and accessible
  3. Identify XML document storage usage
    Review Plesk configuration files in /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/ for XML document handling, particularly around admin panel functionality
    Affected if The system stores or processes user-supplied string data from REST parameters into XML documents without sanitization

You are affected only if your Parallels Plesk Panel is exactly version 10.2.0 build 1011110331.18 AND the Server Administration Panel REST endpoints are accessible and process URL parameters into XML documents.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to a patched version of Parallels Plesk Panel that addresses the XML input validation vulnerability, or implement input sanitization/WAF rules to filter malicious characters from REST URL parameters before XML processing.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Plesk Obsidian (latest stable) or Plesk Onyx - both are supported successors to the legacy Plesk Panel 10.x

  1. 1. Take the affected Plesk Panel server offline or isolate it from the network to prevent exploitation during remediation.
  2. 2. Review and backup all Plesk Panel configuration files, databases, and hosted websites.
  3. 3. Uninstall Parallels Plesk Panel 10.2.0 from the server.
  4. 4. Install a current, supported version of Plesk (such as Plesk Obsidian or Plesk Onyx).
  5. 5. Restore Plesk configuration from backups after fresh installation.
  6. 6. Migrate all customer websites, mail accounts, and databases to the new Plesk installation.
  7. 7. Validate that the REST API endpoints in admin/ and other paths function correctly with normal input.
  8. 8. Apply vendor-recommended security configurations and ensure the new version is updated to the latest patch level.
Caveat Upgrading from Plesk Panel 10.x to modern Plesk versions may require migration of custom configurations and may not support legacy add-ons or themes; full testing of all hosted sites and mail services is recommended

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Parallels Plesk Panel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
21.0 hours of engineering $3,680
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2011-4727 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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