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CpanelApplication

CVE-2019-14398

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-07-30
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 80.0.5 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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 80.0.5 allows demo accounts to execute arbitrary code via ajax_maketext_syntax_util.pl (SEC-498).

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

cPanel versions before 80.0.5 contain a vulnerability in the ajax_maketext_syntax_util.pl script that allows demo accounts to execute arbitrary code on the hosting server, enabling complete system compromise.

MitigationUpgrade cPanel to version 80.0.5 or later to patch the arbitrary code execution vulnerability in demo accounts.

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:< 80.0.5

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/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. Check cPanel version
    Run the command: whmapi1 version or read the file /usr/local/cpanel/version
    Affected if The installed version is below 80.0.5
  2. Check if demo accounts are enabled
    Run: whmapi1 listaccounts and review the output for any accounts with type 'demo', or check via WHM interface at Account Functions > List Accounts
    Affected if Any demo accounts exist on the server
  3. Verify the vulnerable script location
    Check for the presence of ajax_maketext_syntax_util.pl in the cPanel CGI directory, typically under /usr/local/cpanel/base/ or /usr/local/cpanel/cgi-bin/
    Affected if The script exists and demo accounts have access to execute it

The server is affected by this CVE if cPanel version is below 80.0.5 AND demo accounts are enabled, allowing those demo users to execute arbitrary code through the vulnerable script.

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 80.0.5 or later
Fixed in 80.0.5
Interim mitigation

Upgrade cPanel to version 80.0.5 or later to patch the arbitrary code execution vulnerability in demo accounts.

Fix this in Cpanel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
19.0 hours of engineering $3,260
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,216.

Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2019-14398 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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