CVE-2026-48172 — LiteSpeed cPanel Plugin Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
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.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- Confirmed exploitation (CISA KEV)+35
- Public exploit/PoC (github)+6
- EPSS 1% (30-day exploitation probability)+9
- Technical severity (critical)+10
- Automatable exploitation (SSVC)+3
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
CISA SSVC assessment CISA
Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.
CISA required action CISA
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
US federal deadline: May 29, 2026 — passed 139 day(s) ago
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (LiteSpeed Technologies cPanel Plugin, LiteSpeed Technologies WHM Plugin, Litespeedtech Litespeed Cpanel Plugin…).
- Treat as emergency remediation: the CVE is in CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).
- The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
- No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
- Search available logs for exploit probes, errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LiteSpeed Technologies | cPanel Plugin | ≥ 2.3 and < 2.4.7 | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| LiteSpeed Technologies | WHM Plugin | < 5.3.1.0 | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| Litespeedtech | Litespeed Cpanel Plugin | < 2.4.7 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Litespeedtech | Litespeed Whm Plugin | < 5.3.1.0 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.0 | CVSS 4.0 | Critical | — | — | cve@mitre.org via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 10.0 | CVSS 4.0 | Critical | — | — | mitre via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| 9.8 | CVSS 3.1 | Critical | 3.9 | 5.9 | nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 9.8 | CVSS 3.1 | Critical | — | — | GitHub, Inc. via GitHub Security Advisories |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
CISA KEV details CISA
CISA lists a CVE once it has evidence of exploitation against real targets.
CISA records ransomware use only for campaigns it has confirmed, so “Unknown” means unrecorded, not ruled out. The deadline binds US federal agencies; for everyone else it is a reference date.
Public exploits, PoCs and detection templates
Public code that demonstrates or tests the flaw raises the odds of mass exploitation — and Nuclei templates help find vulnerable assets in your environment.
- CVE-2026-48172 ★ 2 May 23, 2026
- cPanel user run arbitrary scripts as root ★ 0 May 23, 2026
- Auditor de version para CVE-2026-48172: verifica localmente si el plugin LiteSpeed de cPanel es vulnerable, sin explotar. ★ 0 May 28, 2026
Warning: public PoCs are sometimes disguised malware. Use them only for authorized testing in an isolated environment. This portal does not host exploit code — it only points to the sources.
EPSS over time FIRST
Oct 12, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 3 reading(s) · max 1.01%
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
- Hunt retroactively in logs from before May 26, 2026 (KEV listing): exploitation may have started earlier.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · litespeed technologies/cpanel plugin, litespeed technologies/whm plugin
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- Affected products added · litespeedtech/litespeed cpanel plugin, litespeedtech/litespeed whm plugin
- CVSS changed · 9.8
- Source status changed · → Analyzed
- Added to CISA KEV (detected)
- Record created in this database
- Added to CISA KEV catalog
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 2× References added · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
References
7 on the record
- blog.litespeedtech.com/2026/05/21/security-update-for-litespeed-cpanel-plugin/
- www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
- www.litespeedtech.com/products/litespeed-web-server/control-panel-support/cpanel
- github.com/advisories/GHSA-fxrh-cwjh-m33v
- www.litespeedtech.com/products/litespeed-web-server/control-panel-support/release-log
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-48172
- blog.litespeedtech.com/2026/05/21/security-update-for-litespeed-cpanel-plugin
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- High CVE-2026-54420 LiteSpeed cPanel Plugin UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following Vulnerability KEV Jun 14, 2026
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2026-48172 is "LiteSpeed cPanel Plugin Privilege Escalation Vulnerability", rated Critical. It affects cPanel Plugin (LiteSpeed Technologies); versions are in the scope table. It is in CISA KEV: there is evidence of real-world exploitation. CVSS 9.8 describes technical severity. EPSS 1.01% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
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