CVE-2026-48172
CVE-2026-48172 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Litespeedtech Litespeed Cpanel Plugin with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. It is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming it has been exploited in the wild (added 2026-05-26). The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-266.
Key facts
- Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
- CVSS v4: 10.0
- EPSS exploit prediction: 19% (97th percentile)
- Actively exploited: Yes — listed in CISA KEV (added 2026-05-26)
- EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2026-31204
- EU exploitation: Flagged exploited in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (since 2026-05-26)
- Weakness: CWE-266
- Affected product: Litespeedtech Litespeed Cpanel Plugin
- Published:
- Last modified:
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.
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-48172?
- 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.
- How severe is CVE-2026-48172?
- CVE-2026-48172 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
- Is CVE-2026-48172 being actively exploited?
- Yes. CVE-2026-48172 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2026-05-26, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.
- What products are affected by CVE-2026-48172?
- CVE-2026-48172 primarily affects Litespeedtech Litespeed Cpanel Plugin. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
- How do I fix CVE-2026-48172?
- Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.
- Does CVE-2026-48172 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
- Yes. CVE-2026-48172 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2026-31204. It is also flagged as exploited in the EUVD (since 2026-05-26).
- When was CVE-2026-48172 published?
- CVE-2026-48172 was published on 2026-05-21 and last updated on 2026-06-17.
References
- https://blog.litespeedtech.com/2026/05/21/security-update-for-litespeed-cpanel-plugin/
- https://www.litespeedtech.com/products/litespeed-web-server/control-panel-support/cpanel
- https://www.litespeedtech.com/products/litespeed-web-server/control-panel-support/release-log
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-48172
Affected products (2)
- cpe:2.3:a:litespeedtech:litespeed_cpanel_plugin:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:litespeedtech:litespeed_whm_plugin:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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