CVE-2017-18478
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 · uneditedIn cPanel before 62.0.4 incorrect ACL checks could occur in xml-api for Rearrange Account actions (SEC-207).
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 · moderate confidenceIn cPanel before version 62.0.4, the xml-api component had incorrect Access Control List (ACL) validation for Rearrange Account actions, potentially allowing unauthorized users to rearrange accounts they should not have access to modify.
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>= 11.54.0.0, < 11.54.0.36>= 55.9999.61, < 56.0.43>= 57.9999.48, < 58.0.43>= 59.9999.58, < 60.0.35>= 61.9999.55, < 62.0.4CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/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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Determine installed cPanel versionRun command: cat /usr/local/cpanel/version or access WHM and check the version displayed in the footerAffected if The version falls within any of these ranges: 11.54.0.0 through 11.54.0.35, 55.9999.61 through 56.0.42, 57.9999.48 through 58.0.42, 59.9999.58 through 60.0.34, or 61.9999.55 through 62.0.3
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Verify xml-api access is enabledIn WHM, go to Tweak Settings and check if XML API is enabled under the Security section, or query: whmapi1 tweaksettings for xmlapiAffected if The xml-api interface is accessible and not disabled in the cPanel configuration
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Confirm Rearrange Account function is accessible via xml-apiCheck if the Rearrange Account API call is available by reviewing the xml-api documentation or testing the API endpoint at /xml-api/rearrangeaccountAffected if The Rearrange Account functionality is exposed through the xml-api interface
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Review ACL permissions for api usersIn WHM, navigate to Manage API Tokens or Manage API Tokens and verify which users or IP addresses have access to the xml-api, particularly the account manipulation functionsAffected if Users or tokens exist that may have broader access than intended to account rearrangement features
You are affected if your cPanel version is less than 62.0.4 AND the xml-api component is enabled and exposes the Rearrange Account functionality to users without proper ACL restrictions.
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 data11.54.0.3656.0.4358.0.43
Update cPanel to version 62.0.4 or later to receive the corrected ACL checks for the xml-api Rearrange Account functionality.
- Consultation1.0 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-2017-18478 — 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-2017-18478 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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