CloudPanel - RCE (CVE-2023-35885)

CVE-2023-35885 is a vulnerability in CloudPanel 2 prior to version 2.3.1 that exposes insecure cookie-based authentication in the file manager. This weakness could allow attackers to bypass authentication controls and gain unauthorized access to sensitive files or administrative functions.

CrowdSec has been tracking this vulnerability and its exploits since 12th of June 2025.

Insights from the CrowdSec network reveal that the attackers trying to exploit CVE-2023-35885 are composed of a fairly even mix of opportunistic and targeted actors. Some attackers employ preliminary reconnaissance, while others use indiscriminate scanning. In addition, according to the CrowdSec network, attack volume against CVE-2023-35885 has dipped slightly compared to the previous week. Although still commonly targeted, the decline suggests a cooling-off period. Long-term relevance remains, but attention is waning.

Attackers exploit CloudPanel's file manager backend endpoints by sending POST requests to create and modify PHP files, ultimately achieving remote code execution. The targeted endpoints are /file-manager/backend/makefile, /file-manager/backend/text, and /file-manager/backend/permissions.