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CpanelApplication

CVE-2017-18438

MEDIUM · 6.3 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-08-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 56.0.49 / 58.0.49 or later.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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 64.0.21 allows demo accounts to execute code via Encoding API calls (SEC-242).

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 64.0.21 contains a privilege escalation vulnerability where demo accounts can execute arbitrary code through the Encoding API (SEC-242). Demo accounts, which should be restricted and sandboxed, can bypass these restrictions to achieve code execution on the host system.

MitigationUpgrade cPanel to version 64.0.21 or later to remediate this vulnerability. Ensure demo accounts are properly restricted after the upgrade.

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:>= 55.9999.61, < 56.0.49>= 57.9999.48, < 58.0.49>= 59.9999.58, < 60.0.43>= 61.9999.55, < 62.0.24>= 63.9999.74, < 64.0.21

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
Low

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

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 cPanel version
    Run /usr/local/cpanel/cpanel -V or cat /usr/local/cpanel/version to obtain the installed version number
    Affected if Version is below 64.0.21 and falls within affected ranges: 55.9999.61 to 56.0.49, 57.9999.48 to 58.0.49, 59.9999.58 to 60.0.43, 61.9999.55 to 62.0.24, or 63.9999.74 to 64.0.21
  2. Identify demo accounts
    Run /usr/local/cpanel/bin/listaccts or inspect files in /var/cpanel/users/ to list accounts and check for demo status
    Affected if Any demo accounts exist on the system
  3. Verify Encoding API exposure
    The vulnerability allows demo accounts to bypass restrictions via the Encoding API (SEC-242). Check if the web interface at /cpanelwebapi/ or encoding endpoints is accessible to demo user accounts
    Affected if Demo accounts can access and use the Encoding API despite sandbox restrictions

A system is affected if it runs a cPanel version below 64.0.21 within the listed version ranges AND has demo accounts configured, allowing those restricted accounts to execute code through the Encoding API.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to 56.0.49 / 58.0.49 / 60.0.43 or later
Fixed in 56.0.4958.0.4960.0.43
Interim mitigation

Upgrade cPanel to version 64.0.21 or later to remediate this vulnerability. Ensure demo accounts are properly restricted after the upgrade.

Fix this in Cpanel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,664.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2017-18438 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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