CVE-2026-54420
Litespeedtech Litespeed Cpanel Plugin ≤ 2.4.8
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2026-54420 is a high-severity UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following (CWE-61) vulnerability in Litespeedtech Litespeed Cpanel Plugin. Its CVSS base score is 8.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Path Interception (T1034); ranked in the top 29% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and AC-4 (Information Flow Enforcement) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
LiteSpeed cPanel plugin before version 2.4.8, distributed as part of LiteSpeed WHM PlugIn before 5.3.2.0, contains a symlink mishandling flaw on shared hosting servers that use CloudLinux with CageFS. The issue, tracked as CWE-61, allows improper resolution of symbolic links supplied by authenticated users and carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 8.5 reflecting network attack vector, high complexity, low privileges, and changed scope with high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
An attacker who already possesses FTP or web shell access on the affected system can supply crafted symlinks that the plugin fails to contain within the expected CageFS jail. Successful exploitation grants the ability to read or modify files outside the user’s assigned home directory, potentially affecting other tenants or system components on the shared server.
Vendor guidance published on 1 June 2026 directs administrators to upgrade the LiteSpeed cPanel plugin to 2.4.8 or newer. The vulnerability appears in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog after confirmed in-the-wild exploitation in May 2026; the current EPSS score stands at 0.0061 with no reported material increase since disclosure.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-36657
Vulnerability Data
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.
- CWE(s)
- KEV Date Added
- 15 June 2026
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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- 2 hardening rules · 2 OS baselines
V5.2.5
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Access enforcement must resolve the actual target of any file reference and apply authorizations to it, directly stopping symlink traversal to unauthorized objects.
Information-flow enforcement on file operations must follow the resolved target rather than the link name, blocking unauthorized data movement via symlinks.
Least-privilege restrictions on the directories that may contain links or targets reduce the set of files an attacker can reach even if a symlink is followed.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure SDLC practices directly prevent introduction of symlink-following flaws in file-handling code.
Vulnerability identification can discover existing symlink issues but does not prevent or remediate them in code.
Least-privilege access policies can limit damage from symlink attacks but do not address the coding flaw itself.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing can detect symlink-following vulnerabilities before deployment, covering most of the weakness.
Secure-architecture principles require safe file-handling and canonicalization, directly addressing symlink attacks.
Secure-coding standards mandate explicit symlink checks and safe open patterns, fully mitigating CWE-61.
Access-control rules can restrict which files a process may open, reducing symlink-following risk but not eliminating the underlying path-resolution flaw.
Configuration management can enforce safe file-permission baselines that limit symlink abuse, but does not address the code flaw itself.
Hardening callouts derived
Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).
Oracle Linux 8 (1 rule)
- V-248577 OL 8 must enable kernel parameters to enforce Discretionary Access Control (DAC) on symlinks. prevents CWE-61