CVE-2017-18461 in cPanel
Summary
by MITRE
cPanel before 62.0.17 allows does not preserve security policy questions across an account rename (SEC-223).
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/19/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-18461 affects cPanel versions prior to 62.0.17 and represents a significant security policy enforcement flaw that undermines account integrity and access control mechanisms. This issue specifically relates to the failure of the system to maintain security policy questions during account renaming operations, creating a potential avenue for unauthorized access and privilege escalation. The vulnerability stems from inadequate state management within the account management subsystem where security policy configurations are not properly transferred or preserved when account identifiers are modified.
The technical implementation of this flaw occurs at the account management layer where the system processes account renaming operations without ensuring that all associated security policies remain intact. When an account is renamed, the security policy questions that were previously configured for that account are lost or not carried forward to the new account identifier. This creates a window of vulnerability where an attacker who gains access to perform account renaming operations could potentially bypass security controls that were previously in place. The flaw operates at the application level and affects the core account management functionality that governs user access and authentication parameters.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple account management issues and can significantly compromise the security posture of systems running affected cPanel versions. Attackers who can perform account renaming operations may exploit this weakness to remove or modify security questions that would otherwise serve as additional authentication barriers. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely on security questions as part of their multi-factor authentication strategies or as additional verification steps for account access. The potential for privilege escalation increases when security questions are used to verify identity during account recovery or administrative access processes.
Security implications of CVE-2017-18461 align with CWE-200, which addresses information exposure, and CWE-284, which covers improper access control mechanisms. The vulnerability creates an access control weakness where the system fails to maintain proper security context during account operations, potentially allowing unauthorized modifications to security policies. From an adversarial perspective, this flaw maps to ATT&CK technique T1552.001, which involves unauthorized access to credentials and authentication data. The vulnerability could enable attackers to manipulate account security settings, potentially leading to complete account compromise or unauthorized access to sensitive system resources.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate deployment of cPanel version 62.0.17 or later, which includes the necessary patches to preserve security policy questions during account renaming operations. Organizations should conduct comprehensive audits of their account management configurations to identify any accounts that may have been affected by this vulnerability. Additionally, implementing strict access controls for account renaming operations and monitoring these activities can help detect potential exploitation attempts. Security teams should also review and validate all existing security policy configurations to ensure that account renaming operations do not inadvertently remove critical authentication controls. Regular vulnerability assessments and security monitoring should be implemented to detect similar issues in other system components that may exhibit similar state management flaws.