CVE-2020-26105
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 · uneditedIn cPanel before 88.0.3, insecure chkservd test credentials are used on a templated VM (SEC-554).
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 use insecure default credentials for the chkservd service monitoring daemon on templated virtual machines. When cPanel is deployed from a VM template without proper generalization, the templated credentials persist across instances, allowing remote attackers to exploit these weak test credentials for service monitoring access.
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.
-
Determine installed cPanel versionRun the command: /usr/local/cpanel/cpanel -V or check /usr/local/cpanel/versionAffected if The displayed version is before 88.0.3 (for example, 88.0.2, 87.x.x, or earlier)
-
Verify chkservd service is activeRun: /scripts/chkservd -v or check system service status for chkservdAffected if chkservd is running and the cPanel version is below 88.0.3
-
Inspect chkservd configuration for credentialsCheck the chkservd configuration files in /etc/chkservd.d/ or /var/cpanel/chkservd/ for any hardcoded or default credentialsAffected if Default, templated, or weak credentials are found in the chkservd configuration files
-
Check for VM template deploymentReview system documentation or cloud-init logs to determine if this cPanel instance was deployed from a pre-built VM templateAffected if The system was deployed from a VM template and the cPanel version is before 88.0.3
You are affected if cPanel version is below 88.0.3 AND chkservd is running with templated/default credentials from a VM image deployment.
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. For existing deployments, regenerate all chkservd credentials and ensure VM templates are properly generalized before use (removing embedded secrets, keys, and default credentials).
cPanel 88.0.3 or later
- Create a full backup of the cPanel server before proceeding with any upgrade
- Ensure adequate disk space and system resources are available for the upgrade
- Run the update command via terminal: /usr/local/cpanel/scripts/upcp --force
- Alternatively, use WHM interface: Home >> cPanel >> Upgrade to Latest Version
- Allow the upgrade process to complete fully without interruption
- Verify the cPanel version after upgrade: grep CPANEL /etc/cpanel.config or whmapi1 version
- Confirm the chkservd service is running properly: /scripts/restartsrv_chkservd
- Review cPanel logs to ensure no errors occurred during upgrade: /var/log/cpanel-up.log
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-26105 — 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-2020-26105 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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