CVE-2020-15422
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 · uneditedThis vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of CentOS Web Panel cwp-e17.0.9.8.923. Authentication is not required to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within ajax_mod_security.php. When parsing the archivo parameter, the process does not properly validate a user-supplied string before using it to execute a system call. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of root. Was ZDI-CAN-9731.
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 confidenceUnauthenticated command injection in CentOS Web Panel's ajax_mod_security.php. The 'archivo' parameter is not validated before being used in a system call, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code as root without any 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= 0.9.8.923CVSS 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
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm CentOS Web Panel is installedLook for CWP (CentOS Web Panel) installation directories such as /usr/local/cwp/, /usr/local/cwpsrv/, or check for the CWP service: systemctl list-units | grep -i cwpAffected if CWP is not installed on the system
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Check installed CWP versionIf CWP is present, retrieve the version. Common methods include: rpm -q cwp or inspect version files in /usr/local/cwp/ (such as /usr/local/cwp/version), or access the admin panel login page which often displays the versionAffected if The installed version equals 0.9.8.923 exactly
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Locate the vulnerable ajax_mod_security.php fileCheck for the existence of ajax_mod_security.php in the CWP web directory. Typical paths include /usr/local/cwpsrv/htdocs/resources/admin/include/ajax_mod_security.php or similar locations under /usr/local/cwp/Affected if The file ajax_mod_security.php exists on the system
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Verify web service accessibilityConfirm the CWP web interface is accessible on the server. Test with curl or a browser to port 2030 (CWP default) or port 2087 (CWP SSL) to see if the ajax_mod_security.php endpoint respondsAffected if The CWP admin panel or ajax_mod_security.php endpoint is reachable over the network without authentication
If CentOS Web Panel version 0.9.8.923 is installed and the ajax_mod_security.php endpoint is network-accessible, the system is vulnerable to unauthenticated remote command injection via the archivo parameter.
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 dataApply vendor patch for CVE-2020-15422 to CentOS Web Panel; if unavailable, disable/network-isolate the vulnerable ajax_mod_security.php endpoint and restrict admin panel access until patched.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,648.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-15422 — 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-2020-15422 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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