Executive brief
CyberPanel, a popular web hosting control panel, contains a security flaw that allows logged-in users to take full control of the server. By exploiting a weakness in the file management system, an attacker can read sensitive files like database passwords and execute their own commands on the underlying operating system. This could lead to a total compromise of all websites hosted on the server and the theft of customer data.
Technical details
A command injection and symlink vulnerability exists in CyberPanel version 2.1 and earlier. The root cause is improper sanitization of the 'completeStartingPath' parameter within POST requests to the /filemanager/controller endpoint. An authenticated attacker can manipulate this parameter to inject shell commands or create symbolic links. By creating a symlink to sensitive system files (such as /root/.my.cnf) and then accessing the /websites/fetchFolderDetails endpoint, an attacker can read arbitrary files with elevated privileges. This can be further leveraged to extract database credentials and achieve full remote code execution (RCE) on the host system. A public exploit (EDB-50230) is available.
Affected products
- Cyberpanel CyberPanel <= 2.1
Timeline
- 2021-08-27: disclosed: Exploit published on Exploit-DB
- 2026-05-10: advisory: NVD/VulnCheck advisory published