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Security Advisory: CVE-2026-48172 (LiteSpeed Web Server)

Information regarding CVE-2026-48172 affecting LiteSpeed Web Server environments, including shared hosting, WordPress Optimized hosting, and VPS services. Learn whether your hosting service may be impacted and what actions, if any, are required.

Overview

Hostek is actively responding to a recently disclosed vulnerability identified as CVE-2026-48172, which may affect servers running LiteSpeed Web Server.

This advisory primarily impacts:

  • cPanel Hosting (both Shared and VPS)

  • WordPress Optimized Hosting (both Shared and VPS)

Our systems administration team has already begun mitigation efforts across Hostek-managed shared hosting infrastructure.

Who Is Affected?

Shared Hosting Customers

Potentially affected services include:

  • cPanel Shared Hosting

  • WordPress Optimized Hosting

These systems are centrally managed by Hostek, and the threat has already been mitigated by our engineering team.

VPS Customers

Customers operating:

  • cPanel VPS Hosting

  • WordPress Optimized Hosting

Self-managed LiteSpeed environments may need to take action depending on their server configuration and management level.

Shared Hosting Customers

Is Any Action Required?

At this time, no customer action is required. Hostek is handling mitigation and remediation efforts directly on the affected shared hosting infrastructure.

What Is Hostek Doing?

Our cPanel engineering team is:

  • Reviewing affected systems

  • Applying vendor-provided mitigations and updates where available

  • Monitoring for signs of abuse or exploitation

  • Continuing to evaluate the broader impact of the vulnerability

Additional updates will be posted as necessary.

VPS Customers

Why VPS Customers Are Different

VPS environments provide customers with elevated administrative control and customization capabilities. Because of this, Hostek may not automatically manage or update LiteSpeed installations on all VPS services.

If your VPS is running LiteSpeed Web Server, your server may require manual review or remediation.

How To Determine If Your VPS Uses LiteSpeed

Method 1: Check WHM

If your server uses cPanel/WHM:

  1. Log in to WHM

  2. Search for:

    • “LiteSpeed”

    • “Plugins”

    • “Web Server”

  3. Verify whether LiteSpeed Web Server is installed and active

Method 2: Check Via SSH

Run the following command:

/usr/local/lsws/bin/lshttpd -v

If LiteSpeed is installed, the server will return the installed version information.

Method 3: Contact Support

If you are unsure whether your VPS utilizes LiteSpeed, please contact Support, and we can assist with verification.

Recommended Actions For VPS Customers

Customers operating LiteSpeed on VPS services should:

  1. Review the current LiteSpeed version information

  2. Monitor vendor advisories and patch availability

  3. Apply security updates or mitigations as they become available

  4. Restrict unnecessary administrative access where possible

  5. Contact Support if assistance is required

Managed vs Unmanaged VPS Services

Managed VPS Customers

If your VPS includes Hostek management services:

  • Our team may proactively assist with remediation efforts

  • Additional communication may be provided if action is required

Unmanaged VPS Customers

Customers with unmanaged VPS services are responsible for:

  • Maintaining server software

  • Applying security patches

  • Managing third-party software installations

  • Monitoring vulnerability exposure

Support assistance may still be available upon request.

Is There Evidence Of Active Exploitation?

At this time:

  • We are monitoring the situation closely

  • We are not publicly disclosing the exploit methodology

  • We recommend timely remediation as a precautionary security measure

Security advisories can evolve rapidly as additional information becomes available.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this affect all Hostek customers?

No. This advisory only affects environments utilizing LiteSpeed Web Server.

Does this affect Apache-only servers?

Servers not utilizing LiteSpeed are generally not impacted by this specific advisory.

Does this vulnerability affect cPanel itself?

No. This vulnerability is related to LiteSpeed Web Server and not cPanel directly.

However, many cPanel-based hosting environments utilize LiteSpeed as the web server layer.

Will Hostek patch shared hosting automatically?

Yes. Hostek is already implementing mitigations and remediation steps on the managed shared hosting infrastructure.

Additional Information

  • CVE Identifier: CVE-2026-48172

  • Vendor: LiteSpeed Technologies

  • Affected Software: LiteSpeed Web Server

  • Status: Under active investigation and mitigation

Need Assistance?

If you require assistance determining whether your VPS is affected or need help applying remediation steps, please contact our Support team.

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