Overview
A critical zero-day remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-52562, has been discovered in ConvoyPanel, a widely-used web hosting control panel. This flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary commands on vulnerable servers, posing a serious threat to businesses relying on ConvoyPanel for managing hosting environments. The vulnerability is already being exploited in the wild, prompting urgent advisories from security researchers and CERTs worldwide.
Key Facts
- Vulnerability ID: CVE-2025-52562
- Severity: Critical (CVSS v3 Score: 9.8)
- Impact: Full remote code execution without authentication
- Affected Product: ConvoyPanel (versions ≤ 4.8.1)
- Exploit Availability: In the wild (zero-day)
- Patch Status: No official fix available yet
- Attack Vector: Malicious HTTP request exploiting input validation flaw
- Discovered By: Independent researcher group GreyCell Labs
- First Detected: June 21, 2025
What’s Verified and What’s Still Unclear
✅ Confirmed:
- Exploitation is actively occurring against public-facing ConvoyPanel servers.
- Vulnerability affects default installations of ConvoyPanel up to version 4.8.1.
- Exploit requires no credentials and can be executed via a specially crafted HTTP POST request.
- A proof-of-concept (PoC) has been privately shared with CERT teams.
❓ Unclear:
- The full list of affected modules within ConvoyPanel.
- Whether the vulnerability stems from third-party dependencies.
- Attribution of attacks remains speculative at this time.
Timeline of Events
- June 21, 2025: Initial discovery by GreyCell Labs.
- June 22, 2025: Researchers observe exploitation attempts in the wild.
- June 23, 2025: Advisory released to hosting companies and CERTs.
- June 24, 2025: Community begins mass scanning for vulnerable instances.
- June 25, 2025: ConvoyPanel acknowledges the issue and begins internal review.
Who’s Behind It?
There’s no confirmed attribution yet, but early analysis of infrastructure and exploit patterns suggests potential links to APT38, a North Korean threat actor known for exploiting web-based vulnerabilities. However, the widespread nature of exploitation also points to cybercriminal groups taking advantage of the unpatched zero-day.
Public & Industry Response
- Hosting providers are issuing emergency notices to clients.
- CERTs across Europe and Asia have released indicators of compromise (IoCs).
- Security researchers have published temporary mitigations on GitHub.
- ConvoyPanel has yet to release a patch but confirmed that they are actively working on remediation.
- Cloud infrastructure services are proactively blocking malicious IPs attempting to exploit CVE-2025-52562.
What Makes This Unique?
What sets CVE-2025-52562 apart is the ease of exploitation—an attacker only needs to send a specially crafted HTTP request to the vulnerable system. This zero-day RCE requires no user interaction and no login credentials, making it ideal for automated mass exploitation, especially by botnets targeting web infrastructure. Its potential for chaining with privilege escalation flaws makes it extremely dangerous in shared hosting environments.
Understanding the Basics
What is ConvoyPanel?
ConvoyPanel is a Linux-based web hosting control panel used by hosting providers to manage websites, email, and databases. It is a competitor to cPanel and DirectAdmin.
What is an RCE vulnerability?
Remote Code Execution (RCE) allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code on a remote machine. In the context of CVE-2025-52562, this means that an attacker could take full control of servers running ConvoyPanel, install malware, exfiltrate data, or pivot to other systems.
Why is a Zero-Day so dangerous?
A zero-day refers to a vulnerability that is actively being exploited before the vendor becomes aware or has issued a patch. This gives attackers a time advantage to cause widespread damage.
What Happens Next?
- Patch Development: ConvoyPanel is expected to release an emergency patch within days.
- Wider Scanning: Cybersecurity companies will likely release detection rules for IDS/IPS systems.
- Public PoC?: There are concerns that a public proof-of-concept (PoC) may soon emerge, accelerating mass exploitation.
- Mitigation: Until a patch is available, users are advised to disable external access to the panel and use WAF (Web Application Firewall) rules to block malicious payloads.
Summary
The discovery of CVE-2025-52562, a critical zero-day remote code execution vulnerability in ConvoyPanel, signals an urgent need for awareness and mitigation. With attacks already in progress, organizations must act quickly to secure their infrastructure. While attribution remains uncertain, the impact is global and ongoing. Monitoring, segmentation, and early mitigation strategies are key until a proper patch is available.