CVE-2016-10823
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 55.9999.141 allows arbitrary code execution in the context of the root account because of MakeText interpolation (SEC-89).
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 · high confidencecPanel before version 55.9999.141 contains a MakeText interpolation vulnerability (SEC-89) that allows authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code with root privileges. This code injection flaw in the control panel's text processing enables complete system compromise.
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>= 11.50.0.4, < 11.50.5.2>= 11.51.9999.98, < 11.52.4.1>= 11.54.0.0, < 11.54.0.20>= 55.9999.61, < 55.9999.141CVSS 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
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 installed cPanel versionRun `cat /usr/local/cpanel/version` or log into WHM and navigate to Server Information > cPanel version to retrieve the installed version numberAffected if The version falls within any of these ranges: 11.50.0.4 to 11.50.5.2, 11.51.9999.98 to 11.52.4.1, 11.54.0.0 to 11.54.0.20, or 55.9999.61 to 55.9999.141
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Verify MakeText feature accessibilityIn cPanel, locate the MakeText or Text processing interface typically found under the cPanel interface features. Confirm whether an authenticated user can access text interpolation or template processing functionsAffected if The MakeText interpolation feature is exposed and accessible to authenticated cPanel users
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Confirm user authentication is possibleCheck if local Unix or cPanel accounts can be created or if remote authentication (via LDAP, AD, or PAM) is configured. Attempt to access cPanel or WHM with a valid accountAffected if Untrusted users can obtain cPanel or WHM authentication credentials, providing them access to the vulnerable MakeText functionality
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Check for signs of exploitation in logsReview cPanel error logs at `/usr/local/cpanel/logs/error_log` and Apache access logs for unusual MakeText, template, or code injection patterns, especially involving system command executionAffected if Log entries show unexpected MakeText calls containing shell metacharacters or suspicious command strings
You are affected if your cPanel version is within any of the four vulnerable version ranges AND untrusted authenticated users can access the MakeText interpolation feature.
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 data11.50.5.211.52.4.111.54.0.20
Upgrade cPanel to version 55.9999.141 or later to patch the MakeText interpolation vulnerability. This is a critical patch as it provides root-level code execution capability.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-10823 — 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-2016-10823 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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- 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
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