CVE-2020-15425
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. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of 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-9742.
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 confidenceCentOS Web Panel (CWP) versions prior to patch contain an unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability in ajax_mod_security.php. The script fails to validate user-supplied input before passing it to a system call, allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges.
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 installedCheck for CWP installation directories: ls -la /usr/local/cwpsrv/ or ls -la /usr/local/cwp/ and look for cwp-related files and directories.Affected if These directories exist and contain CWP files.
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Determine installed CWP versionCheck version file typically located at /usr/local/cwpsrv/version or /usr/local/cwp/version, or run: cat /usr/local/cwpsrv/version 2>/dev/null || cat /usr/local/cwp/.version 2>/dev/nullAffected if The version number is 0.9.8.923 or lower.
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Locate ajax_mod_security.phpSearch for the vulnerable script: find /usr/local/cwpsrv/htdocs -name 'ajax_mod_security.php' 2>/dev/nullAffected if The file ajax_mod_security.php exists in the web root directory.
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Verify web interface accessibilityConfirm the CWP web interface is exposed by checking if port 2030 or 2086 is listening: netstat -tlnp | grep -E '2030|2086'Affected if The CWP admin interface is accessible over the network (ports open).
If CentOS Web Panel is installed with version 0.9.8.923 or lower and ajax_mod_security.php is present with the web interface exposed, the system is vulnerable to unauthenticated remote code execution.
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 dataImmediately update CentOS Web Panel to the latest patched version or apply vendor-supplied patches to ajax_mod_security.php to implement proper input validation. Consider restricting network access to the panel until patched.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $2,800.
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-15425 — 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-2020-15425 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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