CVE-2025-54424 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting 1Panel, a web interface and MCP server used to manage websites, files, containers, databases, and large language models (LLMs) on Linux servers. The vulnerability exists in versions 2.0.5 and earlier, where the HTTPS protocol communication between the Core and Agent endpoints suffers from incomplete certificate verification during TLS certificate validation. This flaw allows an attacker to bypass authentication and gain unauthorized access to the management interface. Given that 1Panel exposes numerous command execution and high-privilege interfaces, this unauthorized access can be leveraged to perform Remote Code Execution (RCE) on the underlying Linux server. The root cause is an improper neutralization of special elements used in command execution (CWE-77), which facilitates command injection attacks. The vulnerability is fixed in version 2.0.6. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 8.1, indicating a high severity with network attack vector, high attack complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction, and impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, but the potential for exploitation is significant due to the nature of the flaw and the criticality of the affected interfaces.

For European organizations using 1Panel to manage Linux servers, this vulnerability poses a serious risk. Successful exploitation could lead to full system compromise, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary commands with high privileges, potentially leading to data theft, service disruption, or pivoting within internal networks. Organizations relying on 1Panel for managing critical infrastructure, web services, containerized applications, or LLM deployments could face operational downtime and data breaches. The lack of proper certificate validation means attackers could perform man-in-the-middle or spoofing attacks to gain unauthorized access remotely without authentication or user interaction. This elevates the threat especially for organizations with internet-exposed 1Panel instances or insufficient network segmentation. The impact extends to confidentiality, integrity, and availability of systems and data, which is critical for compliance with European data protection regulations such as GDPR.

European organizations should immediately upgrade all 1Panel deployments to version 2.0.6 or later, where the certificate validation issue is fixed. Until upgrades are applied, organizations should restrict network access to the Core and Agent endpoints using firewall rules or VPNs to limit exposure to trusted hosts only. Implement strict TLS inspection and monitoring to detect anomalous certificate behavior or unauthorized connections. Conduct thorough audits of 1Panel usage and logs to identify any suspicious activity. Additionally, consider deploying host-based intrusion detection systems (HIDS) to monitor for unusual command execution patterns indicative of exploitation attempts. Organizations should also review and harden the underlying Linux server configurations, minimize privileges for 1Panel processes, and ensure that backups are current to enable recovery in case of compromise. Finally, maintain awareness of any emerging exploit reports and apply security patches promptly.