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CpanelApplication

CVE-2018-20869

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-07-30
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 76.0.8 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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 76.0.8 allows arbitrary code execution in the context of the root account via dnssec adminbin (SEC-465).

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 confidence

cPanel before version 76.0.8 contains a vulnerability in its dnssec adminbin functionality that allows arbitrary code execution with root privileges. An attacker with appropriate access to the dnssec adminbin interface can execute commands in the context of the root account.

MitigationUpgrade cPanel to version 76.0.8 or later. Since this allows root-level code execution, prioritize this upgrade immediately and review access controls to the dnssec adminbin interface.

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:< 76.0.8

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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. Identify the installed cPanel version
    Run the command: /usr/local/cpanel/cpanel -V or check /usr/local/cpanel/version
    Affected if The version number displayed is less than 76.0.8 (for example, 76.0.7, 75.x, 74.x, etc.)
  2. Confirm the cPanel build tier
    Run: /usr/local/cpanel/cpanel -V and note the full version string (for example, 76.0.8.12, 11.76.0.8)
    Affected if The build number is below 76.0.8 regardless of tier notation
  3. Check if dnssec adminbin is accessible
    Verify access via WHM >> DNS Functions >> DNSSEC Manager or by checking /usr/local/cpanel/bin/adminrun dnssec:: function availability
    Affected if The dnssec adminbin interface is exposed and accessible to the attacker with appropriate privileges
  4. Review access controls for dnssec interface
    Inspect /var/cpanel/users/ and WHM user tier settings to determine which accounts have dnssec adminbin access
    Affected if Low-privilege reseller or user accounts have access to the dnssec adminbin functionality

Your environment is affected if cPanel version is below 76.0.8 AND the dnssec adminbin interface is accessible to non-root users.

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 76.0.8 or later
Fixed in 76.0.8
Interim mitigation

Upgrade cPanel to version 76.0.8 or later. Since this allows root-level code execution, prioritize this upgrade immediately and review access controls to the dnssec adminbin interface.

Fix this in Cpanel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,590
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,544.

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-2018-20869 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