LiveActive security incident?Get immediate response
CVE Record

CVE-2026-48172: LiteSpeed User-End cPanel Plugin before 2.4.5 allows privilege escalation (possibly to root), as exploited...

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.

CriticalCVSS 10Known exploitedUpdated
Discuss exposureBack to CVEs
Glexia's TakeHuman reviewedcritical

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This is a critical flaw in LiteSpeed’s cPanel user-end plugin that can let an attacker escalate privileges, potentially to root, on affected hosting servers. Public sources state it was exploited in the wild in May 2026, and CISA lists it as known exploited.

Executive priority

Handle this as an emergency for hosting infrastructure. It combines critical severity, possible root-level escalation, unauthenticated network reachability, and confirmed exploitation. Prioritize patching, log review, and compromise assessment over routine maintenance windows.

Technical view

CVE-2026-48172 affects LiteSpeed User-End cPanel Plugin versions before 2.4.5. The issue is tied to mishandling Redis enable/disable functionality and is classified as CWE-266. The CVSS 4.0 score is 10.0, with network attack vector, no privileges, no user interaction, and high impact across confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely in cPanel/WHM hosting environments using the LiteSpeed cPanel user-end plugin below 2.4.5. The source bundle does not show standalone LiteSpeed Web Server exposure without this plugin. Recommended minimum version is 2.4.7.

Exploitation context

Active exploitation is supported by the CVE description and CISA KEV listing. Public sources say exploitation occurred in May 2026. The bundle does not include attacker tooling details, affected campaign scope, or a complete post-compromise impact pattern.

Researcher notes

The public record names Redis enable/disable handling but does not provide full root-cause detail. Validation should focus on affected plugin presence, version state, vendor-described log artifacts, suspicious IPs, and downstream system activity. Do not assume unaffected status from LiteSpeed Web Server alone without checking the plugin.

Mitigation direction

  • Upgrade the LiteSpeed cPanel plugin to at least version 2.4.7.
  • Confirm no servers remain on plugin versions before 2.4.5.
  • Review LiteSpeed’s security update and release log for current vendor guidance.
  • Block invalid or suspicious IPs identified in related cPanel logs.
  • Investigate affected systems for privilege escalation and persistence indicators.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory cPanel/WHM hosts using the LiteSpeed user-end plugin.
  • Check plugin versions and flag anything below 2.4.5.
  • Review cPanel logs for the Redis enable API marker described by the CVE.
  • If matching logs exist, inspect source IPs and related system log activity.
  • Treat confirmed matches as potential compromise, not just attempted exploitation.
Prepared
Reviewed
Confidence
high
Sources
6

Public sources used

Michael Williams reviewed this cited source version on .

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.

cwe · low confidence lookup

CWE-266: Exact CWE lookup

Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.

Open ATT&CK lookup
description · low confidence lookup

Privilege behavior lookup

The CVE wording references privilege impact, so privilege escalation and authorization behavior review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.

Open ATT&CK lookup
cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2026-48172 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

Open ATT&CK lookup
Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Critical
CVSS
10 (4.0)
Known Exploited
Yes
Published

Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H

Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

1CVSS vectors
5Timeline events
1ADP providers
5Source links

CISA KEV status

Status
Known exploited
Source
CISA-ADP
Date added
KEV reference

SSVC decision data

CISA-ADPCISA Coordinator
Timestamp
Version
2.0.3
Exploitation: activeAutomatable: yesTechnical Impact: total

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
10CVSS 4.0CriticalCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H——mitre

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 4.0 score

10Critical
CVSS 4.0 vector shape for CVE-2026-48172Attack VectorAttack ComplexityAttack RequirementsPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionVS ConfidentialityVS IntegrityVS AvailabilitySS ConfidentialitySS IntegritySS Availability

Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Attack Requirements
NonePresent
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NonePassiveActive
VS Confidentiality
HighLowNone
VS Integrity
HighLowNone
VS Availability
HighLowNone
SS Confidentiality
HighLowNone
SS Integrity
HighLowNone
SS Availability
HighLowNone

Vulnerability timeline

Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.

  1. CVE reservedCVE Program

    The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.

  2. CVE publishedCVE Program

    The CVE record was published.

  3. Added to KEVCISA-ADP

    CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities metadata lists this CVE as known exploited.

  4. ADP timelineCISA-ADP

    CVE-2026-48172 added to CISA KEV

  5. CVE updatedCVE Program

    The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.

ADP provider summaries

CISA-ADPCISA ADP Vulnrichment
other:ssvcother:kev
  • 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z: CVE-2026-48172 added to CISA KEV

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LiteSpeed TechnologiescPanel PluginWHM Plugin/cPanel Plugin, 2.3unaffected
LiteSpeed TechnologiesWHM PluginWHM Plugin/cPanel Plugin, 0unaffected
Weakness

CWE details

CWE-266

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.

CWE-266 · source CWE mapping

Incorrect Privilege Assignment

Incorrect Privilege Assignment represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.

Open CWE intelligenceSame-CWE CVEs