CVE-2025-53534: 
vulnerability analysis and mitigation

RatPanel versions v2.3.19 to v2.5.5 contain a remote code execution vulnerability that allows attackers to execute system commands or take over hosts managed by the panel without authentication. The vulnerability exists due to inconsistent URL path handling between the CleanPath middleware and must_login middleware, which can lead to authentication bypass (GitHub Advisory).

The vulnerability stems from inconsistent URL path handling between different components. When a request is made with a double-slashed path (e.g., //api/ws/ssh), the CleanPath middleware from github.com/go-chi/chi cleans it to /api/ws/ssh, but r.URL.Path remains //api/ws/ssh. The must_login middleware uses r.URL.Path for whitelist matching, causing the authentication check to fail since /api/ws does not match //api/ws. This allows bypassing authentication controls and accessing sensitive endpoints like /api/ws/exec and /api/ws/ssh (GitHub Advisory).

The vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary system commands and potentially take over hosts managed by the panel. Users running affected versions, especially those with exposed admin panel login URLs or weak login paths, are vulnerable to unauthorized access. Additionally, versions v2.5.1 to v2.5.5 are susceptible to complete server and hosted machine takeover (GitHub Advisory).

The vulnerability has been patched in version 2.5.6. Users should upgrade to this version or later to address the security issue. No workarounds are provided in the advisory (GitHub Advisory).