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CpanelApplication

CVE-2018-20875

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-08-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 74.0.8 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable

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 74.0.8 allows self XSS in the WHM Security Questions interface (SEC-433).

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

Self XSS vulnerability in cPanel's WHM Security Questions interface in versions before 74.0.8. The vulnerability allows injection of malicious JavaScript through unsanitized input in the security questions field, which executes when the user views or interacts with their own submitted data.

MitigationUpgrade cPanel to version 74.0.8 or later. This is a vendor-provided patch that addresses input sanitization in the WHM Security Questions 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:< 74.0.8

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify cPanel version
    Access WHM and navigate to Server Status > cPanel Version, or run 'whmapi1 version' via command line, or check /usr/local/cpanel/version file
    Affected if The installed cPanel version is lower than 74.0.8
  2. Confirm WHM access
    Verify that WHM (Web Host Manager) interface is accessible and in use. The vulnerability exists in the WHM Security Questions feature specifically, not cPanel alone.
    Affected if WHM is accessible and users have the ability to set security questions through WHM interface
  3. Check Security Questions configuration
    In WHM, navigate to Security Center > Security Questions or similar path where security questions are configured. Examine whether unsanitized input can be observed in the security question fields.
    Affected if Security questions are configured and the interface displays user-submitted question text without proper sanitization

You are affected if your cPanel version is below 74.0.8 and the WHM Security Questions interface is accessible and in use.

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 74.0.8 or later
Fixed in 74.0.8
Interim mitigation

Upgrade cPanel to version 74.0.8 or later. This is a vendor-provided patch that addresses input sanitization in the WHM Security Questions interface.

Fix this in Cpanel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

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-2018-20875 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