# CVE-2026-65646: Plesk DNS zone management improper neutralization of special elements

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-65646-plesk-dns-zone-management-improper-neutralization-of-special  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-08-26. Updated: 2026-09-25  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-65646 · Severity: critical · CVSS 9.9 · Published 2026-08-26

Plesk's DNS zone management functionality, a critical component used by hosting providers to manage domain DNS records, contains an improper input validation vulnerability. An authenticated attacker can exploit this flaw to read sensitive local files from the server and escalate their privileges, potentially gaining complete control over the hosting infrastructure and customer data.

Technologies: [Plesk](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/plesk). Vendors: [Plesk](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/plesk).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-65646 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-65646 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-65646?** Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 9.9, published 26 August 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Plesk <UNKNOWN>.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-65646?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2026-65646 attacked?** It is attacked over the network.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-65646?** Check whether you run Plesk at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

The vulnerability is an improper neutralization of special elements (CWE-74 class) in Plesk's DNS zone management functionality. The root cause is insufficient input validation and sanitization when processing user-supplied input in DNS zone configuration operations. An authenticated user with DNS management permissions can inject specially crafted input to bypass security controls, achieve arbitrary file disclosure from the server filesystem, and escalate privileges. The attack requires authentication but is remotely exploitable over the network. A patch or update from Plesk is required to remediate this issue.

## Affected products

- Plesk Plesk <UNKNOWN>

## Timeline

- 2026-08-26: disclosed

## References

- [https://support.plesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/42877023875351-Vulnerability-CVE-2026-65646-in-Plesk-s-DNS-zone-management-functionality](https://support.plesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/42877023875351-Vulnerability-CVE-2026-65646-in-Plesk-s-DNS-zone-management-functionality)

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