LiteSpeed's cPanel Plugin Follows Symlinks Across Security Boundaries to Escalate Privileges; CISA's June 18th KEV Remediation Window Has Closed for Covered Entities

Last refreshed2026-09-27

Status: KEV | Advisory ID: CVE-2026-54420

Key Details

CVE	CVE-2026-54420
Vulnerability Name	LiteSpeed cPanel Plugin UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following Vulnerability
Affected products	LiteSpeed cPanel Plugin
Exploitation status	Listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, indicating confirmed active exploitation.
Classified as	CWE-61 (UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following)
KEV listing	Added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2026-06-15.
Exploitation prediction (EPSS)	0.81% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days (55% percentile) -- FIRST.org's EPSS model.
Federal remediation deadline	2026-06-18 (CISA KEV, Binding Operational Directive).

Affected Products, Subsystems & Sectors

Vendor	Product	Affected Versions	Patch Status
LiteSpeed	cPanel Plugin

Vendor

Product

Affected Versions

Patch Status

LiteSpeed

cPanel Plugin

Subsystems	General OT
Sectors	Multiple

What to Know

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.

What to Do

Monitor LiteSpeed's web page for any future patch releases.

References

Source	Reference
NVD	https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-54420
CVE	https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-54420

Source

Reference

NVD

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-54420

CVE

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-54420

KEV Required Action

Field	Value
KEV Link	https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
Date Added to KEV	2026-06-15
Required Action Due Date	2026-06-18
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.

Field

Value

KEV Link

https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog

Date Added to KEV

2026-06-15

Required Action Due Date

2026-06-18

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.