CVE-2025-49132
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 · uneditedPterodactyl is a free, open-source game server management panel. Prior to version 1.11.11, using the /locales/locale.json with the locale and namespace query parameters, a malicious actor is able to execute arbitrary code without being authenticated. With the ability to execute arbitrary code it could be used to gain access to the Panel's server, read credentials from the Panel's config, extract sensitive information from the database, access files of servers managed by the panel, etc. This issue has been patched in version 1.11.11. There are no software workarounds for this vulnerability, but use of an external Web Application Firewall (WAF) could help mitigate this attack.
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 confidenceUnauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability in Pterodactyl Panel's /locales/locale.json endpoint. Attackers can inject arbitrary code via locale and namespace query parameters without any authentication, allowing full compromise of the panel server, database access, and file system access.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
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
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/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 Pterodactyl Panel installationLook for the Pterodactyl Panel in your environment. Check for the panel's web files (typically in /var/www/pterodactyl or similar web root directories). Look for the characteristic Pterodactyl login page when accessing the server over HTTP/HTTPS.Affected if The system is running Pterodactyl Panel software.
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Identify installed Pterodactyl Panel versionCheck the installed version by examining the composer.json file in the panel's root directory (e.g., /var/www/pterodactyl/composer.json). Run: cat composer.json | grep version or check the release tag file if available. Alternatively, check the admin panel's footer which often displays the version number.Affected if The installed version is anything before 1.11.11 (e.g., 1.11.10, 1.11.9, 1.11.0, earlier major versions).
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Check if /locales/locale.json endpoint is accessibleTest if the locale endpoint responds by making a request to: GET /locales/locale.json?locale=..&namespace=.. If the server returns any JSON response without requiring authentication, the endpoint is exposed.Affected if The endpoint returns a response without any authentication challenge or login redirect.
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Review web server access logs for locale endpoint probesExamine web server access logs (nginx access.log or apache2 access.log in /var/log/) for unusual requests to /locales/locale.json with path traversal patterns in the locale or namespace parameters, such as: grep 'locales/locale.json' /var/log/nginx/access.log | grep -E '(locale|namespace)='Affected if There are requests containing suspicious patterns like '../' or unusual locale/namespace parameter values in your access logs.
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Check for unauthorized system changesLook for unexpected files in the panel's web root, new admin users in the Pterodactyl database, or modified cron jobs. Check the database users table for accounts you did not create. Review file modifications in /var/www/pterodactyl using: find /var/www/pterodactyl -type f -mtime -7Affected if Unexpected files, new admin accounts, or recent file modifications are found that you did not create.
A system is affected if it runs any version of Pterodactyl Panel prior to 1.11.11 and has the /locales/locale.json endpoint publicly accessible without authentication.
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 · scopedImmediately upgrade Pterodactyl Panel to version 1.11.11 or later. This is a critical severity vulnerability with no effective software workaround; a WAF may provide temporary mitigation but patching is required.
1.11.11
- Upgrade Pterodactyl Panel to version 1.11.11 or later to remediate this arbitrary code injection vulnerability
- After upgrading, verify the fix by confirming the /locales/locale.json endpoint no longer accepts arbitrary code via locale and namespace query parameters
- Review access logs for any suspicious requests to the /locales/locale.json endpoint that occurred before the patch was applied
- Consider deploying a Web Application Firewall (WAF) as an additional layer of defense
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-49132 — 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-2025-49132 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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- 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