Over the past few days, the cPanel community has been made aware of an issue affecting servers running MySQL 8.4, where systems were unexpectedly upgraded to MySQL 9.7 during routine nightly updates. This behaviour was not initiated by server administrators and has caused service disruption on some platforms.
At Easyspace, we believe in keeping our customers fully informed when industry-wide issues occur—especially those that can impact database availability.
What happened?
According to cPanel, nightly cPanel and operating system updates triggered package updates from the official MySQL repositories. Due to a bug in the MySQL repository configuration, systems running MySQL 8.4 were automatically upgraded to the next major version, MySQL 9.7.
Major version upgrades are not normally automatic, and this behaviour was unexpected.
In several reported cases, this resulted in:
- The MySQL service failing to start
- Websites and applications going offline
- Authentication issues due to removed legacy plugins in MySQL 9.7
Why this is a problem
Major MySQL upgrades can introduce breaking changes, particularly around authentication methods and compatibility with existing applications.
One key change noted by cPanel is the removal of the mysql_native_password authentication plugin in MySQL 9.7. Systems relying on this plugin may fail to authenticate users or start correctly after the upgrade.
Because this upgrade occurred automatically during routine updates, administrators did not have the opportunity to prepare, test, or back up ahead of the change.
What cPanel is doing
cPanel has confirmed the issue originates from an upstream MySQL repository bug, opened an internal investigation (CPANEL-52811), and published a support advisory with manual recovery options for affected servers.
What Easyspace customers need to know
- This issue was not caused by Easyspace, but by an upstream MySQL repository change affecting the wider cPanel ecosystem.
- We closely monitor vendor advisories and upstream issues to protect platform stability.
- Where necessary, mitigations are applied at platform level to reduce exposure to unexpected upgrades.
- If a database issue occurs on your service, our support team will work with you to assess impact and next steps.
Our recommendation
If you manage your own VPS or dedicated server:
- Review MySQL repository settings
- Avoid automatic major version upgrades
- Ensure you have recent database backups
For fully managed customers, our team continues to monitor this issue and follow vendor guidance as updates are released.
