CVE-2019-14388
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 82.0.2 allows unauthenticated file creation because Exim log parsing is mishandled (SEC-507).
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 82.0.2 contains a vulnerability where Exim mail server log parsing is mishandled, allowing unauthenticated attackers to create files on the system without authentication.
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< 82.0.2CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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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Check installed cPanel versionAccess WHM and navigate to Server Information > cPanel version, or run 'cat /usr/local/cpanel/version' via command lineAffected if Version is lower than 82.0.2 (e.g., 82.0.1, 78.x.x, or earlier)
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Verify Exim mail server is activeCheck Exim status via WHM > Service Status > Exim Mail Server, or run 'systemctl status exim' or '/scripts/restartsrv_exim --status'Affected if Exim is running and accepting connections (the vulnerability exploits Exim log parsing)
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Review Exim log for anomaliesInspect /var/log/exim_mainlog and /var/log/exim_rejectlog for unusual entries, especially around file creation operations or malformed log dataAffected if Log entries contain unexpected file paths, unusual parsing errors, or entries indicating unauthenticated file creation attempts
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Scan for files created in unexpected locationsSearch for recently created files in /tmp, /var/tmp, cPanel user home directories, and /root using 'find /tmp -type f -mtime -7' or similar recent file checksAffected if Files exist in temporary directories or non-standard locations that were not created by legitimate administrators or services
System is affected if cPanel version is below 82.0.2 AND Exim mail server is enabled, as the vulnerability allows unauthenticated file creation through mishandled Exim log parsing
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 data82.0.2
Update cPanel to version 82.0.2 or later to patch the vulnerability. If immediate updating is not possible, consider restricting access to the cPanel interface and monitoring for suspicious file creation activity.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 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-2019-14388 — 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-2019-14388 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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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.
- 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