CVE-2025-30206: Hardcoded JWT Secret in Dpanel Enables Full Remote Compromise

Overview

CVE-2025-30206 is a critical vulnerability in Dpanel, a Docker visualization and management panel. The flaw affects versions prior to 1.6.1 and stems from the use of a hardcoded JWT secret. This enables attackers to craft valid tokens and take full control of the system remotely.

Technical Details

The vulnerability arises due to insecure design choices including the use of a hardcoded cryptographic key (CWE-321), insecure default variable initialization (CWE-453), and embedded constants (CWE-547). By analyzing the source code, an attacker can identify the JWT secret used to sign authentication tokens. With this knowledge, they can generate valid JWTs, impersonate admin users, and bypass all authentication controls.

Once authenticated, an attacker gains administrative access, potentially allowing them to:

• Execute arbitrary commands on the host
• Access and exfiltrate sensitive data
• Escalate privileges
• Move laterally across the network

This vulnerability is especially dangerous in cloud or containerized environments where Dpanel is used to orchestrate Docker containers and images.

CVSS Score

The issue has been rated 9.8 (Critical) under CVSS v3.1:

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

• Attack Vector: Network
• Attack Complexity: Low
• Privileges Required: None
• User Interaction: None
• Impact: High on Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability

Affected Versions

All Dpanel versions prior to 1.6.1 are affected. This includes default installations where the hardcoded secret remains unchanged.

Mitigation

• Update to Dpanel version 1.6.1, which includes a patch for the issue.
• If an upgrade is not possible, replace the hardcoded JWT secret with a securely generated value and store it in a secure configuration file or secrets manager.
• Audit existing Dpanel deployments to ensure secrets are not default or exposed.

Conclusion

Hardcoded secrets remain one of the most dangerous and avoidable security flaws. Projects managing access and infrastructure—like Dpanel—must ensure that sensitive credentials are properly generated, stored securely, and never embedded directly in source code. Organizations using Dpanel should take immediate action to mitigate the risk and prevent potential breaches.

More details are available in the official advisory: GHSA-j752-cjcj-w847.