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WebpanelApplication · Control Webpanel

CVE-2020-15423

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-07-28
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
This 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 dominio 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-9732.

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

Unauthenticated command injection in CentOS Web Panel's ajax_mod_security.php. The 'dominio' parameter is passed to a system call without proper validation, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands as root.

MitigationImplement strict input validation on the dominio parameter, using allowlists or safer API methods that avoid system() calls entirely. Apply principle of least privilege to the web service process.

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
WebpanelApplication
Affected:= 0.9.8.923

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
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 checks

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

  1. Confirm CentOS Web Panel installation
    Identify if CentOS Web Panel (CWP) is installed on the system by checking for its typical installation directories or running 'rpm -qa | grep -i centos-web-panel' or similar package queries.
    Affected if The system has CentOS Web Panel installed.
  2. Check CWP version
    Retrieve the installed version of CentOS Web Panel and compare it to 0.9.8.923. Use the panel's built-in version check or examine installed package metadata.
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 0.9.8.923.
  3. Locate vulnerable script
    Search for the ajax_mod_security.php file in the web panel's document root or admin directories. Common paths include /usr/local/cwpsrv/htdocs/resources/admin/ or similar CWP installation paths.
    Affected if The ajax_mod_security.php file exists and matches the version 0.9.8.923.
  4. Verify web service privilege level
    Check the user/group the web server (CWP's cwpsrv or httpd) runs as by examining process list (ps aux | grep cwpsrv) or service configuration. The vulnerability allows root command execution if the web service runs as root.
    Affected if The CWP web service runs as root or a privileged user.
  5. Assess network exposure
    Determine if the ajax_mod_security.php endpoint is accessible from the network by checking firewall rules and listening services. The flaw is remotely exploitable without authentication.
    Affected if The CWP admin interface or ajax_mod_security.php is accessible from network locations.

The environment is affected if CentOS Web Panel version 0.9.8.923 is installed, the ajax_mod_security.php file exists, and it is accessible while the web service runs with elevated privileges.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Implement strict input validation on the dominio parameter, using allowlists or safer API methods that avoid system() calls entirely. Apply principle of least privilege to the web service process.

Fix this in Webpanel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2020-15423 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
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