CVE-2016-10818
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 · uneditedcPanel before 57.9999.54 incorrectly sets log-file permissions in dnsadmin-startup and spamd-startup (SEC-124).
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 confidencecPanel before version 57.9999.54 incorrectly sets permissions on log files created by the dnsadmin-startup and spamd-startup scripts (SEC-124). This permission misconfiguration could allow unprivileged users to read sensitive log data, potentially exposing system information, email content, or DNS query details.
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< 56.0.15CVSS 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
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check cPanel versionRun /usr/local/cpanel/cpanel -V or whmapi1 version to retrieve the installed cPanel versionAffected if Version is below 57.9999.54 (or below 56.0.15 depending on the branch in use)
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Locate dnsadmin log filesFind log files created by the dnsadmin service, typically in /var/log/named/ or /usr/local/cpanel/logs/ directory, looking for files matching dnsadmin or named logsAffected if Log files exist in world-readable locations from dnsadmin-startup script execution
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Locate spamd log filesFind log files created by the spamd service, typically in /var/log/spamd.log or /usr/local/cpanel/logs/spamd/ directoryAffected if Log files exist in world-readable locations from spamd-startup script execution
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Inspect log file permissionsUse ls -la on identified dnsadmin and spamd log files to check permission bits (look for files with 644 or more permissive modes, or 755 for directories)Affected if Log files have permissions allowing read access by unprivileged users (e.g., mode 644, 666, or directory mode 755)
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Verify ownership and group settingsRun stat or ls -ln on log files to check owner, group, and confirm if non-privileged users can access the files via group or world permissionsAffected if Files are owned by root but readable by others, or group membership allows non-privileged user access
A system is affected if it runs a vulnerable cPanel version AND has dnsadmin or spamd log files with overly permissive permissions allowing unprivileged user read access.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor data56.0.15
Upgrade cPanel to version 57.9999.54 or later to obtain the corrected log file permissions. For systems that cannot be upgraded immediately, manually audit and restrict permissions on log files created by dnsadmin and spamd services to prevent unauthorized access.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-10818 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-10818 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data