CVE-2017-18396
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 68.0.15 allows arbitrary file-read operations via Exim vdomainaliases (SEC-329).
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 68.0.15 contains a vulnerability in how Exim handles vdomainaliases that allows authenticated attackers to perform arbitrary file-read operations on the underlying system. The flaw enables reading sensitive files beyond the intended mail functionality scope.
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>= 61.9999.55, < 62.0.35>= 63.9999.74, < 64.0.42>= 65.9999.38, < 66.0.34>= 67.9999.64, < 68.0.15CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/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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Confirm cPanel installationRun: /usr/local/cpanel/cpanel -V or check /usr/local/cpanel/version fileAffected if cPanel is not installed or the command fails, indicating this CVE does not apply to the environment
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Determine installed cPanel versionExecute: /usr/local/cpanel/cpanel -V 2>&1 | head -1 to retrieve the full version stringAffected if The version falls within any of these ranges: 61.9999.55 to 62.0.34, 63.9999.74 to 64.0.41, 65.9999.38 to 66.0.33, or 67.9999.64 to 68.0.14
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Verify Exim mail server is activeRun: /etc/exim/conf or check if exim process is running via: ps aux | grep eximAffected if Exim is not in use, as the vulnerability specifically targets Exim handling of vdomainaliases
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Check for domain alias configurationInspect /etc/valiases/ directory or run: whmapi1 list_domain_aliases 2>/dev/null to see if any domain aliases existAffected if vdomainaliases (domain aliases) are configured in the system, which is required for the attack vector to function
The environment is affected if cPanel is installed with a version matching the affected ranges AND Exim is the mail server AND domain aliases are configured, allowing the vdomainaliases vulnerability to be exploited for arbitrary file reads.
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 data62.0.3564.0.4266.0.34
Upgrade cPanel to version 68.0.15 or later to address the arbitrary file-read vulnerability in Exim vdomainaliases. Additionally, review Exim configuration and restrict domain alias permissions to prevent unauthorized file access.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-18396 — 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-2017-18396 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
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