CpanelApplication

CVE-2016-10824

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-08-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.50.5.2 / 11.52.4.1 or later.
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
cPanel before 55.9999.141 allows unauthenticated arbitrary code execution via DNS NS entry poisoning (SEC-90).

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 confidence

cPanel before version 55.9999.141 is vulnerable to DNS NS (nameserver) record poisoning, which allows unauthenticated remote attackers to manipulate DNS resolution and achieve arbitrary code execution on the affected server.

MitigationUpdate cPanel to version 55.9999.141 or later. Additionally, implement DNSSEC validation and monitor for unauthorized DNS record changes as defense-in-depth measures.

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
CpanelApplication
Affected:>= 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, < 55.9999.141

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
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checks

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

  1. Check installed cPanel version
    Run command: /usr/local/cpanel/version or whmapi1 version
    Affected if The version output 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
  2. Confirm cPanel DNS service is in use
    Verify the server runs BIND/named and uses cPanel DNS zone management via /scripts/restartsrv_named or checking /var/named for zone files
    Affected if The server manages DNS zones through cPanel, making it vulnerable to NS record poisoning if the version is affected
  3. Review recent DNS zone changes
    Check DNS zone logs or audit logs in /usr/local/cpanel/logs for unauthorized or unexpected modifications to NS records
    Affected if Unexpected NS record changes exist that were not made by authorized administrators

The server is affected if the installed cPanel version falls within the vulnerable version ranges AND the server uses cPanel for DNS zone management.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 11.50.5.2 / 11.52.4.1 / 11.54.0.20 or later
Fixed in 11.50.5.211.52.4.111.54.0.20
Interim mitigation

Update cPanel to version 55.9999.141 or later. Additionally, implement DNSSEC validation and monitor for unauthorized DNS record changes as defense-in-depth measures.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to cPanel version 55.9999.141 or later (or the latest stable release in your current branch: 11.50.5.2+, 11.52.4.1+, 11.54.0.20+)

  1. Identify current cPanel version by running '/usr/local/cpanel/cpanel -V' or checking WHM interface
  2. Review cPanel release notes for version 55.9999.141 or later at news.cpanel.com to understand changes
  3. Determine your current version branch (11.50, 11.51, 11.54, or 55) from the affected versions list
  4. Create a full backup of cPanel configurations and account data before upgrading
  5. Upgrade cPanel via WHM interface using 'Upgrade to Latest Version' or via command line: /usr/local/cpanel/scripts/upcp
  6. Verify successful upgrade by running '/usr/local/cpanel/cpanel -V' and confirming version is 55.9999.141 or later
  7. Test critical functionality (DNS, web servers, email, backups) post-upgrade
Caveat cPanel major version upgrades may require testing of third-party plugins and custom configurations; review release notes for deprecation notices

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

Fix this in Cpanel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,720
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,752.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-10824 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-10824 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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