CVE-2017-18469
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 62.0.17 allows demo accounts to execute code via an NVData_fetchinc API call (SEC-233).
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 62.0.17 contains a vulnerability in the NVData_fetchinc API that allows demo accounts (restricted sandbox accounts intended for demonstration purposes only) to execute arbitrary code on the server. This bypasses the intended security restrictions placed on demo accounts, allowing privilege escalation from a low-privilege demo user to full code execution capability.
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>= 55.9999.61, < 56.0.46>= 57.9999.48, < 58.0.45>= 59.9999.58, < 60.0.39>= 61.9999.55, < 62.0.17CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Determine cPanel versionRun '/usr/local/cpanel/cpanel -V' or check the WHM interface for the cPanel version numberAffected if The installed version falls within one of these ranges: 55.9999.61 to 55.x.x, 57.9999.48 to 57.x.x, 59.9999.58 to 59.x.x, or 61.9999.55 to 61.x.x (versions below 62.0.17)
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Identify demo accounts on the systemCheck for accounts with 'demo' in the username via WHM account listing or run 'grep -i demo /var/cpanel/users/*' to locate demo user configuration filesAffected if Any demo accounts exist on the server (accounts with 'demo' prefix or designated as demo accounts in cPanel)
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Verify NVData API accessibilityInspect the API configuration files in /usr/local/cpanel/base/frontend/ or /usr/local/cpanel/Cpanel/ to determine if NVData_fetchinc is exposed and callable via the API endpointsAffected if The NVData_fetchinc API endpoint is accessible and callable by authenticated users including demo accounts
The server is affected if the cPanel version is below 62.0.17 AND demo accounts are present and able to access the NVData_fetchinc API, allowing arbitrary code execution.
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 data56.0.4658.0.4560.0.39
Upgrade cPanel to version 62.0.17 or later to patch the vulnerable NVData_fetchinc API call that improperly allowed demo accounts to execute arbitrary code.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-18469 — 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-2017-18469 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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