CISA Warns of Ongoing Exploitation of Critical CentOS Web Panel Flaw

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued a stark advisory regarding the exploitation of a critical vulnerability in CentOS Web Panel (CWP), now officially known as Control Web Panel. This remote command execution flaw (tracked as CVE-2022-44877) is being actively abused by threat actors, according to the agency’s latest addition to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.

This warning underscores the growing risks posed by outdated or unpatched web management interfaces, especially those exposed to the internet. Organizations using affected versions of CWP are urged to patch immediately.

The Vulnerability Allows Full Remote Code Execution Without User Interaction

The flaw, discovered in early 2022 and publicly disclosed in January 2023, affects all versions of CentOS Web Panel 7 prior to version 0.9.8.1147. CVE-2022-44877 arises from improper input validation in the login functionality of the admin interface—a common attack vector in web-facing applications.

Exploitation Requires Minimal Prerequisites

Exploiting CVE-2022-44877 requires only network access to the vulnerable panel. An attacker can craft a specially formatted request to execute arbitrary system commands with root privileges. No authentication or user interaction is required, significantly reducing the barrier to entry for exploitation.

Security researchers reported that:

• The flaw resides in the “/login/index.php” endpoint of CWP.
• Malicious actors can exploit the endpoint by injecting shell commands through a malicious username parameter.
• The system executes the command with root-level permissions, providing total control to the attacker.

This level of access allows adversaries to:

• Install malicious backdoors
• Deploy ransomware payloads
• Steal or modify sensitive files
• Lateral movement across the compromised network

CISA Adds CVE-2022-44877 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog

CISA’s decision to include this vulnerability in the KEV catalog indicates that exploitation is not merely theoretical—it is actively occurring in the wild. The agency requires civilian federal agencies to remediate the flaw by July 18, 2024, under Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 22-01.

“These types of vulnerabilities are a frequent attack vector for malicious cyber actors and pose significant risks to the federal enterprise,” CISA stated.

This directive is likely to influence patching priorities across both public and private sector enterprise environments. Non-federal organizations are strongly advised to treat the mandate as a benchmark for responsible risk mitigation.

Indicators Point to Opportunistic and Targeted Exploitation Campaigns

Initial exploitation campaigns observed by security firms resemble automated probing behavior, suggesting botnets or mass scanning tools are being deployed to locate vulnerable CWP instances.

At the same time, some exploitation attempts appear more targeted:

• Cyber actors exploiting the flaw have been observed deploying reverse shells to maintain persistence.
• Other threat groups are using the exploit as part of initial access chains for more complex attacks, including ransomware delivery and credential harvesting.

Although attribution remains ongoing, the attack profile aligns with tactics frequently used by financially motivated threat actors.

Patching and Hardening Guidance for Organizations Using CWP

Administrators of systems running CentOS Web Panel should take immediate actions to assess exposure and apply mitigations. Key steps include:

1. Upgrade to CWP version 0.9.8.1147 or later, which addresses the vulnerability.
2. Restrict network access to the CWP admin interface. Use access control lists (ACLs) or VPN tunneling to limit exposure.
3. Monitor system logs for signs of compromise, including:

* Unusual outbound traffic * Unauthorized user creation * Reverse shell activity

1. Enable endpoint detection and response (EDR) telemetry to detect command execution anomalies.

If patching is delayed or infeasible, disabling the CWP panel or placing it behind strong authentication mechanisms (e.g., single sign-on, IP whitelisting) can provide temporary protection.

Implications for Broader Linux Web Hosting Ecosystems

The inclusion of this vulnerability in CISA’s alert highlights persistent risks in self-managed Linux hosting panels. Many of these systems are deployed by small- to mid-size hosting providers, development firms, and individual system administrators, often without enterprise-grade monitoring or security controls.

That makes them attractive targets for malicious actors seeking low-effort, high-reward exploitation paths. Leveraging flaws like CVE-2022-44877, attackers can compromise dozens or hundreds of servers in an automated fashion—a valuable entry point for broader network infiltration or malware delivery.

Organizations relying on web panels such as CWP should assess how securely these tools are deployed, maintained, and monitored. Insecure deployment—even of patched software—can still pose serious risks.

Final Recommendations for the Critical CentOS Web Panel Flaw

With active exploitation ongoing, and CISA now formally addressing the threat, CVE-2022-44877 represents a credible and immediate risk. Security teams and system administrators should:

• Patch all affected CentOS Web Panel systems without delay.
• Apply network-level restrictions to limit future exposure.
• Perform thorough incident response if indicators of compromise are detected.

The current wave of exploits targeting web management interfaces confirms a longstanding trend: attackers will continue to exploit low-hanging fruit. Swift action can help prevent potentially severe consequences.