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WebpanelApplication · Control Webpanel

CVE-2020-15614

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_php_pecl.php. When parsing the cha 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-9718.

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_php_pecl.php. The 'cha' parameter is not validated before being passed to a system call, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands as root without authentication.

MitigationApply vendor patch or upgrade to patched version. If immediate patching unavailable, restrict network access to the CWP admin interface and consider temporarily disabling or restricting access to ajax_php_pecl.php.

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. Check CWP version
    Locate the CentOS Web Panel installation and retrieve its version number. Common locations include /usr/local/cwpsrv/ or /etc/cwp/, or check the CWP admin interface login page for version display.
    Affected if The installed version is 0.9.8.923 or lower.
  2. Verify ajax_php_pecl.php exists
    Search for the ajax_php_pecl.php file in the web server's document root or CWP admin directories. This file is part of the CWP administrative interface.
    Affected if The file ajax_php_pecl.php exists on the server.
  3. Inspect ajax_php_pecl.php for vulnerable parameter handling
    Examine the source code of ajax_php_pecl.php and locate the section that handles the 'cha' parameter. Verify whether this parameter is passed directly to a system call without input validation or sanitization.
    Affected if The 'cha' parameter is used in a system call (such as shell_exec, exec, passthru, or similar) without validation.
  4. Determine network accessibility of CWP admin interface
    Check whether the CWP admin interface (typically ports 2030 or 2086 for non-SSL, or 2031 or 2087 for SSL) is exposed to untrusted networks. Use netstat, ss, or firewall rules to identify listening interfaces.
    Affected if The CWP admin interface is reachable from untrusted networks or the internet without IP-based restrictions.
  5. Test for unauthenticated command injection
    If safe and authorized, send a crafted HTTP request to ajax_php_pecl.php with the 'cha' parameter containing a benign test command (e.g., a simple echo or sleep). Observe whether the command output is returned or executed.
    Affected if The server executes the injected command without requiring authentication.

A user is affected if they are running CentOS Web Panel version 0.9.8.923 or lower AND the ajax_php_pecl.php file is accessible on their system with the vulnerable 'cha' parameter handler present.

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

Apply vendor patch or upgrade to patched version. If immediate patching unavailable, restrict network access to the CWP admin interface and consider temporarily disabling or restricting access to ajax_php_pecl.php.

Fix this in Webpanel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
27.0 hours of engineering $4,800
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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-2020-15614 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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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