CVE-2020-15429
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_crons.php. When parsing the user 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-9716.
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_crons.php where the 'user' parameter is not validated before being used in a system call, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code as root.
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 the presence of CWP installation directories, typically under /usr/local/cwpsrv/ or /opt/cwp/, and look for the control panel service running on port 2030 (CWP) or port 2086/2087 (CWP SSL)Affected if CWP directories exist and the control panel service is running
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Identify the installed CWP versionLocate the version file or check the admin interface for the version number. Common paths include /usr/local/cwpsrv/htdocs/resources/admin/include/version.php or the login page footer which often displays the versionAffected if The installed version matches 0.9.8.923 exactly
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Verify ajax_crons.php existsCheck for the presence of /usr/local/cwpsrv/htdocs/ajax_crons.php or the equivalent path under your CWP installation rootAffected if The file ajax_crons.php exists in the CWP web directory
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Check network exposure of the admin panelReview firewall rules and CWP configuration to determine if the admin interface (ports 2030, 2086, 2087) is accessible from external IP addresses rather than localhost onlyAffected if The admin panel is exposed to untrusted networks without IP restrictions
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Inspect the ajax_crons.php 'user' parameter handlingExamine the ajax_crons.php source code (if accessible) to confirm the 'user' parameter is used directly in shell commands without sanitizationAffected if The code passes the 'user' parameter to exec(), shell_exec(), system(), or similar functions without input validation
A system is affected if it runs CentOS Web Panel version 0.9.8.923 with the ajax_crons.php file accessible and the admin panel exposed to network attack vectors.
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 or upgrade to patched CentOS Web Panel version; restrict network access to the admin panel interface until patched.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-15429 — 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-2020-15429 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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- 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
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