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Plesk EUVDEUVD-2026-75596

| CVE-2026-68487 CRITICAL
Absolute Path Traversal (CWE-36)
2026-09-10 hackerone GHSA-m444-4f6f-9m89
9.9
CVSS 3.0 · Vendor: hackerone
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Authenticate as Plesk customer
  2. Delivery
    Craft unsigned backup header with traversal path
  3. Exploit
    Trigger Backup Manager write as root
  4. Execution
    Drop file to privileged location (cron/SSH/systemd)
  5. Persist
    Execute code as root
  6. Impact
    Compromise entire hosting server

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V5 - File Handling Absolute path validation
Exploitation Conditions

Requires an authenticated Plesk customer account (PR:L) with access to the Backup Manager feature; the attacker crafts a malicious backup header exploiting the fact that it is unsigned/unvalidated, so no signature or integrity check blocks the traversal. Exploitation is network-reachable with low complexity and no user interaction (AV:N/AC:L/UI:N), meaning any valid low-privileged customer can trigger it against a default Plesk installation. The limiting factor is the need for a working login on the panel and access to the backup functionality - it is not exploitable by fully unauthenticated attackers.

Impact

The supplied CVSS 3.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H, base 9.9) reflects a genuinely severe issue: network-reachable, low attack complexity, only low privileges (a normal customer account, which is the expected trust boundary in multi-tenant hosting), no user interaction, and a scope change because a customer breaks out to root/system control with full C/I/A impact. Arbitrary file write as root is a near-certain path to code execution (e.g., writing cron jobs, systemd units, SSH keys, or web shells), so the technical impact is total. Exploitation is not automatable in the mass-scan sense because it requires a valid customer login on the target panel, which tempers spray-and-pray but is trivial in shared/reseller hosting where accounts are sold openly. No EPSS score, KEV listing, or POC status was provided, so real-world exploitation frequency is unknown; the 9.9 rating is well justified by impact but current active-exploitation signals are absent from the input.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker purchases or already holds an ordinary Plesk customer account on a shared-hosting server, then invokes the Backup Manager with a crafted unsigned backup header whose path field traverses out of the backup directory. The root-privileged backup process writes an attacker-controlled file to a sensitive location (e.g., a cron job or SSH authorized_keys), yielding root code execution and full compromise of every tenant on the box. No POC is identified in the provided data, but the vendor has described the unsigned-header root cause.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Why: CRITICAL severity.
No patch listed yet 0.4% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Sep 10, 2026

Arbitrary file write as root in Plesk's Backup Manager lets an authenticated customer escalate to full server compromise through a path traversal (CWE-36) in the handling of an unsigned backup header. Any low-privileged Plesk customer account can write files to attacker-chosen locations with root privileges, and because Plesk is a widely deployed hosting control panel, the flaw exposes shared and reseller hosting environments to tenant-to-root escalation. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, though the vendor support advisory documents the root cause (unsigned/unvalidated backup header enabling traversal).

RemediationAI

Patch available per vendor advisory - apply the fixed Plesk build referenced in the WebPros support article (https://support.plesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/43248841638551-Vulnerability-in-Plesk-s-Backup-Manager-unsigned-backup-header-allows-path-traversal); the exact fixed version is not stated in the available data, so confirm the target build against that advisory and enable Plesk automatic updates. Until patched, reduce exposure by restricting who can trigger backups: disable or restrict customer access to the Backup Manager for untrusted/low-trust accounts (trade-off: customers lose self-service backup), and treat all existing customer accounts on affected servers as potential vectors given a valid login is the only prerequisite. On multi-tenant/reseller servers, prioritize patching over workarounds since any sold customer account can exploit this, and audit backup output paths and root-owned files (cron, systemd, authorized_keys) for signs of tampering after patching.

Affected VersionsENISA

Plesk 0 ≤18.0.79.10
Plesk 0 ≤18.0.80.6

Affected Packages

euvd plesk no fix

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

Plesk is a commercial web-hosting control panel (vendor WebPros, CPE cpe:2.3:a:webpros:plesk) that manages sites, mailboxes, databases, and backups on Linux/Windows servers, typically running privileged daemons as root. The vulnerability is in the Backup Manager component: per the vendor advisory the backup header is unsigned, so its contents (including path fields) are trusted without integrity validation. This maps to CWE-36 (absolute/relative path traversal), where crafted path data in the backup header is not canonicalized or constrained to an allowed directory, letting the privileged backup process write output outside the intended location. Because the write executes in the root-owned backup workflow, traversal converts a customer-level action into an arbitrary root-owned file write.

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Severity by source

Vendor (hackerone) PRIMARY 9.9 CRITICAL
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 9.9 CRITICAL

Authenticated customer (PR:L) writes files as root over the network with low complexity; tenant-to-root escape is a scope change (S:C) with total C/I/A impact.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H

Primary rating from Vendor (hackerone).

CVSS VectorVendor: hackerone

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

DescriptionCVE.org

Path traversal in Plesk's Backup Manager causes arbitrary file write as root by an authenticated customer.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Plesk Backup Manager contains a critical path traversal vulnerability (CVSS 9.9) enabling customer accounts to write arbitrary files with root privileges and achieve complete server compromise. In shared and reseller hosting environments, this exposes entire infrastructure and co-hosted customer data to tenant-to-root escalation attacks. Plesk's ubiquitous deployment across hosting providers worldwide creates substantial organizational risk until mitigation is deployed.

Business Impact: Severe
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations include: restricting customer access to Backup Manager functionality to operationally necessary accounts only, disabling backup features if not required for business operations, implementing strict file-write monitoring and alerting on system directories and privilege-escalation-target paths (web application roots, cron job directories, system binaries), enforcing account compartmentalization and isolation in multi-tenant deployments, and enabling comprehensive audit logging on all backup operations and file access. Monitor Plesk vendor advisory channels and security bulletins closely for patch availability and deploy security updates immediately upon release.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.4%
Top 70% exploitable
Prevalence
High
Plesk is a widely deployed commercial web-hosting control panel
Social Media
2
Sightings
Data Quality
4 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity CRITICAL
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.4%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
CRITICAL severity
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact
Very High
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

50
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +50
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Path traversal exploits occur when applications use user-controlled input to construct file system paths without proper validation.

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