CVE-2020-26098
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 · uneditedcPanel before 88.0.3 mishandles the Exim filter path, leading to remote code execution (SEC-485).
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 · moderate confidencecPanel versions before 88.0.3 contain a vulnerability in how the Exim mail filter path is handled, allowing remote attackers to inject or manipulate filter file paths and achieve arbitrary code execution on the affected server.
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< 88.0.3CVSS 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 cPanel installationCheck for cPanel binaries or config files: look for /usr/local/cpanel, /var/cpanel, or run 'ls -la /usr/local/cpanel' if accessibleAffected if cPanel is not installed on the system
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Determine installed cPanel versionRun the command '/usr/local/cpanel/cpanel -V' or check the version file at /var/cpanel/cpanel.config if you have CLI accessAffected if The installed version is lower than 88.0.3 (e.g., 88.0.2, 87.x.x, or earlier)
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Verify Exim mail server is in useCheck if Exim is the configured mail server: look for /etc/exim.conf or run 'exim -v' to confirm Exim is runningAffected if Exim is not the active mail server (vulnerability may not apply)
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Inspect Exim filter configuration for unusual pathsReview Exim filter files in /etc/ and /var/ for suspicious external paths or unexpected filter file references in the Exim configurationAffected if Filter files contain unexpected external paths or show signs of manipulation
The system is affected if cPanel is installed with a version below 88.0.3 and Exim is the active mail server with filter configurations that can be externally manipulated.
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.
dbcve · scoped88.0.3
Upgrade cPanel to version 88.0.3 or later to remediate the vulnerability. If immediate upgrade is not possible, restrict administrative access to cPanel and monitor for suspicious Exim filter modifications.
cPanel 88.0.3 or later
- Verify current cPanel version using /usr/local/cpanel/cpanel -V or WHM interface
- Schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade
- Update cPanel to version 88.0.3 or later using the built-in update mechanism: /usr/local/cpanel/scripts/upcp --force
- Alternatively, use WHM >> Home >> cPanel >> Upgrade to available version
- Verify the upgrade was successful and the version is now 88.0.3 or higher
- Test that Exim filter functionality works correctly after upgrade
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-26098 — 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-2020-26098 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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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.
- 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data