Known Exploited Vulnerability
8.5
HIGH CVSS 3.1
CVE-2026-54420
LiteSpeed cPanel Plugin UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following Vulnerability - [Actively Exploited]
Description

LiteSpeed cPanel plugin before 2.4.8 (as distributed in LiteSpeed WHM PlugIn before 5.3.2.0) mishandles symlinks provided by a user with FTP or web shell access on a shared hosting server running CloudLinux/CageFS, as exploited in the wild in May 2026.

INFO

Published Date :

June 14, 2026, 4:16 a.m.

Last Modified :

June 17, 2026, 10:58 a.m.

Remotely Exploit :

Yes !
CISA Notification
CISA KEV (Known Exploited Vulnerabilities)

For the benefit of the cybersecurity community and network defenders—and to help every organization better manage vulnerabilities and keep pace with threat activity—CISA maintains the authoritative source of vulnerabilities that have been exploited in the wild.

Description :

LiteSpeed cPanel plugin contains a UNIX symbolic link (Symlink) following vulnerability that could allow a user with FTP or web shell access on a shared hosting server running CloudLinux/CageFS.

Required Action :

Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.

Known Ransomware Campaign Use:

Unknown

Notes :

https://blog.litespeedtech.com/2026/06/01/security-update-for-litespeed-cpanel-plugin-2/ ; BOD 26-04: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/bod-26-04-prioritizing-security-updates-based-risk ; Forensics Triage Requirements: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/bod-26-04-implementation-guidance-prioritizing-security-updates-based-risk ; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-54420

Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2026-54420 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

ID Vendor Product Action
1 Litespeedtech litespeed_cpanel_plugin
2 Litespeedtech litespeed_whm_plugin
CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
Score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Score Impact Score Source
CVSS 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
CVSS 3.1 HIGH 8254265b-2729-46b6-b9e3-3dfca2d5bfca
CVSS 3.1 HIGH [email protected]
Solution
Update the LiteSpeed cPanel plugin to the latest version to fix symlink handling vulnerabilities.
  • Update LiteSpeed cPanel plugin to version 2.4.8 or later.
  • Update LiteSpeed WHM Plugin to version 5.3.2.0 or later.
  • Review user access controls and permissions.
Public PoC/Exploit Available at Github

CVE-2026-54420 has a 5 public PoC/Exploit available at Github. Go to the Public Exploits tab to see the list.

References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools

Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to CVE-2026-54420.

URL Resource
https://blog.litespeedtech.com/2026/06/01/security-update-for-litespeed-cpanel-plugin-2/ Vendor Advisory
https://www.litespeedtech.com/products/litespeed-web-server/control-panel-support/cpanel Product
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-54420 US Government Resource
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-54420 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-54420 weaknesses.

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

주요 CVE 분석

Updated: 20 hours, 20 minutes ago
0 stars 0 fork 0 watcher
Born at : July 3, 2026, 5:27 a.m. This repo has been linked 4 different CVEs too.

A vulnerability in LiteSpeed cPanel Plugin before 2.4.8 and WHM Plugin before 5.3.2.0 mishandles symlinks provided by a user with FTP or web shell access on a shared hosting server running CloudLinux/CageFS.

Python

Updated: 2 weeks, 4 days ago
0 stars 0 fork 0 watcher
Born at : June 18, 2026, 3:18 p.m. This repo has been linked 1 different CVEs too.

None

Shell

Updated: 2 weeks, 6 days ago
0 stars 0 fork 0 watcher
Born at : June 16, 2026, 7:39 a.m. This repo has been linked 1 different CVEs too.

None

Shell

Updated: 2 weeks, 6 days ago
0 stars 0 fork 0 watcher
Born at : June 16, 2026, 7:14 a.m. This repo has been linked 1 different CVEs too.

CVE-2026-54420

Python

Updated: 2 weeks, 5 days ago
1 stars 0 fork 0 watcher
Born at : June 16, 2026, 6:09 a.m. This repo has been linked 2 different CVEs too.

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2026-54420 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

  • security.nl
Cyberagentschap VS waarschuwt voor actief misbruikt LiteSpeed cPanel-lek

Het Amerikaanse cyberagentschap CISA waarschuwt voor actief misbruik van een kwetsbaarheid in de LiteSpeed cPanel-plug-in waardoor een aanvaller zijn rechten kan verhogen naar die van root. Op 1 juni ... Read more

Published Date: Jun 16, 2026 (2 weeks, 6 days ago)
  • The Hacker News
CISA Flags LiteSpeed cPanel Plugin Flaw Exploited for Root Privilege Escalation

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has added a security flaw impacting LiteSpeed cPanel Plugin to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, requiring Federal Civ ... Read more

Published Date: Jun 16, 2026 (2 weeks, 6 days ago)
  • TheCyberThrone
CISA adds Cisco SD-WAN and LiteSpeed cPanel  to KEV

June 16, 2026CVE-2026-20262 | Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager — Path TraversalCVE-2026-20262 is a directory or path traversal vulnerability in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager. This class of flaw allows at ... Read more

Published Date: Jun 16, 2026 (2 weeks, 6 days ago)

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2026-54420 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

    Jun. 17, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added SSVC {'id': 'CVE-2026-54420', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'active'}, {'automatable': 'no'}, {'technicalImpact': 'total'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-06-15T00:00:00+00:00'}
  • CVE Modified by [email protected]

    Jun. 17, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Affected [{'vendor': 'LiteSpeed Technologies', 'product': 'cPanel Plugin', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '2.3', 'lessThan': '2.4.8', 'versionType': 'custom'}], 'platforms': ['Linux'], 'packageName': 'WHM and cPanel PlugIn', 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}]
  • Modified Analysis by [email protected]

    Jun. 16, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference Type CISA-ADP: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-54420 Types: US Government Resource
  • CVE CISA KEV Update by 9119a7d8-5eab-497f-8521-727c672e3725

    Jun. 15, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Date Added 2026-06-15
    Added Due Date 2026-06-15
    Added Required Action 2026-06-15
    Added Vulnerability Name 2026-06-15
  • CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

    Jun. 15, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-54420
  • Initial Analysis by [email protected]

    Jun. 15, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:a:litespeedtech:litespeed_cpanel_plugin:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 2.4.8 *cpe:2.3:a:litespeedtech:litespeed_whm_plugin:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 5.3.2.0
    Added Reference Type MITRE: https://blog.litespeedtech.com/2026/06/01/security-update-for-litespeed-cpanel-plugin-2/ Types: Vendor Advisory
    Added Reference Type MITRE: https://www.litespeedtech.com/products/litespeed-web-server/control-panel-support/cpanel Types: Product
  • New CVE Received by [email protected]

    Jun. 14, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Description LiteSpeed cPanel plugin before 2.4.8 (as distributed in LiteSpeed WHM PlugIn before 5.3.2.0) mishandles symlinks provided by a user with FTP or web shell access on a shared hosting server running CloudLinux/CageFS, as exploited in the wild in May 2026.
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
    Added CWE CWE-61
    Added Reference https://blog.litespeedtech.com/2026/06/01/security-update-for-litespeed-cpanel-plugin-2/
    Added Reference https://www.litespeedtech.com/products/litespeed-web-server/control-panel-support/cpanel
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.