CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2026-48172Exploited in the wildNVD status: Analyzed

LiteSpeed cPanel Plugin Privilege Escalation

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2026-48172 is a critical-severity incorrect privilege assignment vulnerability in cPanel Plugin from LiteSpeed Technologies, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. The record lists version 2.4.7 as the first without the flaw, so updating cPanel Plugin to that release or later removes the exposure. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on May 26, 2026, which means attacks have been observed in the wild.

Patch now

Attackers are already exploiting this vulnerability, according to CISA.

What to do

  1. Update cPanel Plugin to 2.4.7 or a later version.
  2. Update WHM Plugin to 5.3.1.0 or a later version.
  3. Update Litespeed Cpanel Plugin to 2.4.7 or a later version.
  4. CISA's required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
  5. Read the advisory on blog.litespeedtech.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
  6. Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
LiteSpeed TechnologiescPanel Plugin2.3 up to, but not including, 2.4.72.4.7
LiteSpeed TechnologiesWHM Pluginbefore 5.3.1.05.3.1.0
LitespeedtechLitespeed Cpanel Pluginbefore 2.4.72.4.7
LitespeedtechLitespeed Whm Pluginbefore 5.3.1.05.3.1.0

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
NoneNo account or login is needed.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by NVD.

Scoring systemScoreSeverityScored by
CVSS 4.010.0CriticalCNA (mitre.org)
CVSS 3.19.8CriticalNVD

Official description

LiteSpeed User-End cPanel Plugin before 2.4.5 allows privilege escalation (possibly to root), as exploited in the wild in May 2026. Detection is best done via a command line of grep -rE "cpanel_jsonapi_func=redisAble" /var/cpanel/logs /usr/local/cpanel/logs/ 2>/dev/null in Bash. If you get no output, you have not been hit with exploitation of the vulnerability. If there is output, we recommend you examine the IP addresses in the list, determine if they are valid IP addresses, and if not, block them. To determine damage done, examine the system logs for use by the detected IP addresses. The issue is related to mishandling of Redis enable/disable features. The recommended minimum version is 2.4.7.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Incorrect Privilege Assignment

A product incorrectly assigns a privilege to a particular actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.
  • Run your code using the lowest privileges that are required to accomplish the necessary tasks. If possible, create isolated accounts with limited privileges that are only used for a single task. That way, a successful attack will not immediately give the attacker access to the rest of the software or its environment. For example, database applications rarely need to run as the database administrator, especially in day-to-day operations.

More Incorrect Privilege Assignment vulnerabilities (CWE-266)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. Added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue.
  3. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: active, automatable: yes, technical impact: total).
  4. Deadline for US federal agencies to remediate, set by CISA.
  5. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Third-party and government advisories

Other vulnerabilities in cPanel Plugin

All cPanel Plugin vulnerabilities

Recent Incorrect Privilege Assignment vulnerabilities

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