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UserminApplication · Webmin

CVE-2024-36453

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-07-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.820 / 1.970 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
Cross-site scripting vulnerability exists in session_login.cgi of Webmin versions prior to 1.970 and Usermin versions prior to 1.820. If this vulnerability is exploited, an arbitrary script may be executed on the web browser of the user who accessed the website using the product. As a result, a webpage may be altered or sensitive information such as a credential may be disclosed.

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

Cross-site scripting vulnerability in session_login.cgi of Webmin (<1.970) and Usermin (<1.820) allows injection of arbitrary JavaScript through unsanitized user input during the login process. Successful exploitation enables attackers to execute malicious scripts in victim browsers, potentially hijacking sessions, stealing credentials, or defacing web pages.

MitigationUpdate Webmin to version 1.970 or later and Usermin to version 1.820 or later to apply the security patch. If immediate updates are not feasible, implement input validation and output encoding on the session_login.cgi endpoint as a compensating control.

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
UserminApplication
Affected:< 1.820
WebminApplication
Affected:< 1.970

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
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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. Identify if Webmin is installed
    Check for Webmin installation by looking for its directory structure (typically /usr/libexec/webmin or /etc/webmin) or by checking if the webmin service is running using commands like 'systemctl status webmin' or 'ps aux | grep webmin'. Also check common webmin ports (10000) with 'netstat -tlnp | grep 10000'.
    Affected if Webmin is installed and the version is below 1.970
  2. Identify if Usermin is installed
    Check for Usermin installation by looking for its directory structure (typically /usr/libexec/usermin or /etc/usermin) or by checking if the usermin service is running using commands like 'systemctl status usermin' or 'ps aux | grep usermin'. Also check common usermin ports (20000) with 'netstat -tlnp | grep 20000'.
    Affected if Usermin is installed and the version is below 1.820
  3. Determine Webmin version
    If Webmin is installed, determine its version by checking the version file typically located at /etc/webmin/version or /usr/libexec/webmin/version, or by accessing the Webmin web interface and looking at the 'Webmin Configuration' > 'About Webmin' page.
    Affected if The installed Webmin version is less than 1.970
  4. Determine Usermin version
    If Usermin is installed, determine its version by checking the version file typically located at /etc/usermin/version or /usr/libexec/usermin/version, or by accessing the Usermin web interface and looking at the 'Usermin Configuration' > 'About Usermin' page.
    Affected if The installed Usermin version is less than 1.820
  5. Verify session_login.cgi is accessible
    Check if the session_login.cgi script exists in the CGI directory. Common paths include /cgi-bin/webmin/session_login.cgi or /cgi-bin/usermin/session_login.cgi. Verify the script is accessible by attempting to access it via HTTP on the configured port (10000 for Webmin, 20000 for Usermin).
    Affected if The session_login.cgi script is present and accessible on a Webmin version below 1.970 or Usermin version below 1.820

You are affected if Webmin version below 1.970 or Usermin version below 1.820 is installed and the session_login.cgi endpoint is accessible.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.820 / 1.970 or later
Fixed in 1.8201.970
Interim mitigation

Update Webmin to version 1.970 or later and Usermin to version 1.820 or later to apply the security patch. If immediate updates are not feasible, implement input validation and output encoding on the session_login.cgi endpoint as a compensating control.

Recommended fix High confidence

Webmin 1.970+ / Usermin 1.820+

  1. 1. Backup your current Webmin/Usermin configuration before upgrading
  2. 2. For Webmin: upgrade to version 1.970 or later using your system's package manager or update feature (e.g., yum update webmin, apt update webmin, or via Webmin's own update module)
  3. 3. For Usermin: upgrade to version 1.820 or later using your system's package manager (e.g., yum update usermin, apt update usermin)
  4. 4. After upgrade, clear browser cookies and session data
  5. 5. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version displayed in the Webmin/Usermin interface
Caveat Routine upgrade; ensure backup before proceeding; verify all modules function normally post-upgrade

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Usermin Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

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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-2024-36453 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