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CpanelApplication

CVE-2020-29136

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-11-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.86.0.32 / 11.90.0.17 or later.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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
In cPanel before 90.0.17, 2FA can be bypassed via a brute-force approach (SEC-575).

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 confidence

In cPanel before version 90.0.17, the two-factor authentication (2FA) mechanism can be bypassed through a brute-force attack approach, allowing an attacker to potentially guess or iterate through valid 2FA codes to gain unauthorized access to accounts.

MitigationUpgrade cPanel to version 90.0.17 or later to remediate this vulnerability. Additionally, implement rate-limiting on 2FA endpoints and monitor for brute-force patterns as a defensive measure.

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
CpanelApplication
Affected:< 11.86.0.32>= 11.90.0, < 11.90.0.17>= 11.92.0, < 11.92.0.2

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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 cPanel version
    Run '/usr/local/cpanel/cpanel -V' or check /usr/local/cpanel/version file to obtain the installed cPanel version
    Affected if The installed version is less than 11.86.0.32, OR between 11.90.0.0 and 11.90.0.16 inclusive, OR between 11.92.0.0 and 11.92.0.1 inclusive
  2. Verify 2FA is enabled
    Check if Two-Factor Authentication is configured for any user accounts by reviewing /var/cpanel/users/ directory or via WHM API call 'uapi --user=username TwoFactorAuthentication get_user_configuration'
    Affected if Two-Factor Authentication is enabled and the cPanel version falls within the affected ranges listed above
  3. Check for brute-force protection
    Review /etc/cpanel/cpanel.conf for 'BruteForce' related settings, or check if cPHulkd (cPanel's brute-force protection service) is enabled and running via '/scripts/cphulkd status'
    Affected if Brute-force protection is disabled or not properly configured on the 2FA authentication endpoints

Your environment is affected if you are running a cPanel version in the affected ranges AND have Two-Factor Authentication enabled, without adequate brute-force protection in place.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 11.86.0.32 / 11.90.0.17 / 11.92.0.2 or later
Fixed in 11.86.0.3211.90.0.1711.92.0.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade cPanel to version 90.0.17 or later to remediate this vulnerability. Additionally, implement rate-limiting on 2FA endpoints and monitor for brute-force patterns as a defensive measure.

Fix this in Cpanel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,664.

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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-2020-29136 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data