Critical Vulnerability in cPanel and Web Host Manager (WHM)
CVE-2026-41940 could allow unauthenticated remote attackers to gain unauthorised access to the affected cPanel management console
Summary
CVE-2026-41940 could allow unauthenticated remote attackers to gain unauthorised access to the affected cPanel management console
Affected platforms
The following platforms are known to be affected:
Threat details
End-of-Life Versions are Vulnerable
cPanel currently supports versions 11.110, 11.126, 11.134, 11.136. All other versions are end-of-life and do not receive security updates or hotfixes.
Introduction
cPanel has released a security advisory to address a critical vulnerability affecting cPanel and Web Host Manager (WHM). cPanel is a web‑based hosting control panel used to manage servers and websites.
- CVE-2026-41940 - 'Authentication Bypass' vulnerability with a a CVSSv3 score of 9.8. Successful exploitation could allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to gain root-level access on the affected cPanel management console.
Proof-of-Concept Exploit for CVE-2026-41940
Security researchers have published a proof-of-concept exploit for CVE-2026-41940. Additionally, security researchers have reported exploitation of CVE-2026-41940 in the wild. The NHS England National CSOC assesses further exploitation as highly likely.
Remediation advice
Affected organisations must review the cPanel Security Advisory and complete all remediation steps detailed below.
Remediation steps
| Type | Step |
|---|---|
| Action |
1. Required: Apply the relevant patches Update the server to one of the patched versions as soon as possible via the cPanel update script:
Note: If you have disabled cPanel updates or pinned your cPanel update configuration to a specific version, then these will not auto-update. Servers running an end-of-life version of cPanel may be affected and must be upgraded to a supported version as soon as possible. https://support.cpanel.net/hc/en-us/articles/40073787579671-Security-CVE-2026-41940-cPanel-WHM-WP2-Security-Update-04-28-2026 |
| Action |
2. Required: Verify cPanel build version and restart cPanel Once the update has been completed, verify and confirm the cPanel build version being returned and perform a restart of the cPanel service (cpsrvd):
https://support.cpanel.net/hc/en-us/articles/40073787579671-Security-CVE-2026-41940-cPanel-WHM-WP2-Security-Update-04-28-2026 |
| Action |
3. Strongly Recommended: Perform a Compromise Assessment Affected organisations are strongly recommended to use the detection script provided by cPanel to complete a compromise assessment across their environment. https://support.cpanel.net/hc/en-us/articles/40073787579671-Security-CVE-2026-41940-cPanel-WHM-WP2-Security-Update-04-28-2026 |
Definitive source of threat updates
Last edited: 30 April 2026 11:34 am