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CVE Record

CVE-2018-25117: VestaCP Debian Installer Malicious Backdoor Supply Chain Compromise

VestaCP commit a3f0fa1 (2018-05-31) up to commit ee03eff (2018-06-13) contain embedded malicious code that resulted in a supply-chain compromise. New installations created from the compromised installer since at least May 2018 were subject to installation of Linux/ChachaDDoS, a multi-stage DDoS bot that uses Lua for second- and third-stage components. The compromise leaked administrative credentials (base64-encoded admin password and server domain) to an external URL during installation and/or resulted in the installer dropping and executing a DDoS malware payload under local system privileges. Compromised servers were subsequently observed participating in large-scale DDoS activity. Vesta acknowledged exploitation in the wild in October 2018.

CriticalCVSS 9.3Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysiscritical

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This was a supply-chain compromise of the VestaCP Debian installer. Servers installed from the malicious installer could have leaked admin credentials and received Linux/ChachaDDoS malware. The issue is historical, but any system installed during the affected window should be treated as potentially compromised until proven clean.

Executive priority

Prioritize verification for any legacy VestaCP estate. The main business risk is not a new remote bug, but historical compromise: stolen admin credentials, untrusted server integrity, and possible DDoS abuse from affected systems.

Technical view

CVE-2018-25117 covers malicious code introduced in VestaCP installer commit a3f0fa1 and removed by ee03eff. The code could exfiltrate the base64-encoded admin password and server domain and drop a multi-stage Linux/ChachaDDoS bot under local system privileges. Sources report real-world DDoS participation and Vesta acknowledgment in October 2018.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely for Debian-based VestaCP installations built from the compromised installer between late May and mid-June 2018, or mirrors/copies of that installer used later. Existing untouched installations are not clearly described as affected by the sources.

Exploitation context

Active exploitation is supported by cited reporting and vendor discussion: compromised servers were observed participating in large-scale DDoS activity, and Vesta acknowledged exploitation in the wild in October 2018. CISA KEV listing is not indicated in the provided data.

Researcher notes

The record describes CWE-506 embedded malicious code, not a conventional product vulnerability. Scope appears tied to a compromised Debian installer commit range. Evidence is strong for historical exploitation, but sources do not establish current active exploitation or a KEV listing.

Mitigation direction

  • Identify VestaCP systems installed with the affected Debian installer or during the affected timeframe.
  • Follow current VestaCP/vendor guidance before relying on any old installer artifacts.
  • Rotate VestaCP administrator credentials and related server credentials on potentially exposed systems.
  • Treat suspect systems as compromised; consider rebuild from trusted media if integrity cannot be proven.
  • Review ESET and vendor indicators for Linux/ChachaDDoS during incident response.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory VestaCP hosts and determine original installation date and installer source.
  • Compare installer provenance against commits a3f0fa1 through ee03eff.
  • Check whether the malicious installer code existed in retained deployment scripts or mirrors.
  • Review security telemetry for unexplained DDoS traffic or Linux/ChachaDDoS indicators.
  • Confirm credentials have been rotated after any suspected exposure.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
7

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

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ATT&CK lookup starting points

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cwe · low confidence lookup

CWE-506: Exact CWE lookup

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description · low confidence lookup

Credential and access behavior lookup

The CVE wording references authentication or credential exposure, so valid-account and credential-access review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.

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cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2018-25117 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Critical
CVSS
9.3 (4.0)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:N

Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

1CVSS vectors
3Timeline events
1ADP providers
9Source links

SSVC decision data

CISA-ADPCISA Coordinator
Timestamp
Version
2.0.3
Exploitation: pocAutomatable: noTechnical Impact: total

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
9.3CVSS 4.0CriticalCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:N——VulnCheck

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 4.0 score

9.3Critical
CVSS 4.0 vector shape for CVE-2018-25117Attack VectorAttack ComplexityAttack RequirementsPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionVS ConfidentialityVS IntegrityVS AvailabilitySS ConfidentialitySS IntegritySS Availability

Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:N

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Attack Requirements
NonePresent
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NonePassiveActive
VS Confidentiality
HighLowNone
VS Integrity
HighLowNone
VS Availability
HighLowNone
SS Confidentiality
HighLowNone
SS Integrity
HighLowNone
SS Availability
HighLowNone

Vulnerability timeline

Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.

  1. CVE reservedCVE Program

    The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.

  2. CVE publishedCVE Program

    The CVE record was published.

  3. CVE updatedCVE Program

    The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.

ADP provider summaries

CISA-ADPCISA ADP Vulnrichment
other:ssvc

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
VestaControl Panel (CP)a3f0fa1501d424477786e3e7150bb05c0b99518funaffected
Weakness

CWE details

CWE-506

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.

CWE-506 · source CWE mapping

Embedded Malicious Code

Embedded Malicious Code represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.

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