CVE-2018-20888
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 74.0.0 allows file modification in the context of the root account because of incorrect HTTP authentication (SEC-424).
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 confidencecPanel before version 74.0.0 contains an incorrect HTTP authentication flaw that allows authenticated users to modify files in the context of the root account, effectively bypassing proper authorization controls (SEC-424).
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>= 69.9999.122, < 70.0.53>= 71.9980.30, < 72.0.10>= 73.9980.0, < 74.0.0CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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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Identify the installed cPanel versionRun the command: /usr/local/cpanel/cpanel -V or check /var/cpanel/envtype. Alternatively, view the version in WHM under 'Server Information' or in the cPanel login page footer.Affected if The version falls within these ranges: 69.9999.122 through 70.0.52, 71.9980.30 through 72.0.9, or 73.9980.0 through 73.x (any subversion below 74.0.0).
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Confirm the cPanel/webmail interface is exposedVerify the server responds on ports 2082 (cPanel) and 2083 (cPanel SSL), or ports 2095 (webmail) and 2096 (webmail SSL). Check firewall rules and access restrictions.Affected if The cPanel interface is accessible over the network, allowing HTTP/HTTPS connections to the authentication portal.
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Review user account configurationsIn WHM, navigate to 'List Accounts' or 'Manage API Tokens' to identify which users have cPanel access. Check for any unexpected or unauthorized user accounts.Affected if There are user accounts with cPanel access, particularly any that should not have been granted elevated privileges.
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Audit for unauthorized file modifications in system directoriesReview logs in /var/log/cpanel/security-log or check /usr/local/cpanel/logs for suspicious file writes. Use 'grep' to search for commands modifying files in /root or /home directories outside normal user scopes.Affected if File modifications are found in system directories (e.g., /etc, /root) that were not initiated by root-level administrators through expected channels.
Your environment is affected if cPanel is running version 74.0.0以下 (prior to 74.0.0) and the web interface is network-accessible to non-root users.
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 data70.0.5372.0.1074.0.0
Upgrade cPanel to version 74.0.0 or later to address the authentication bypass vulnerability. Until patched, restrict access to cPanel interfaces to trusted users only and monitor for unauthorized file modifications.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-20888 — 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-2018-20888 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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