Root permission changes via symlink-following chmod
Published May 8, 2026 · Updated May 8, 2026
Symlink following in WebPros cPanel and WP Squared allows remote authenticated users to change arbitrary file permissions as root. The Cpanel::Nova::Connector code calls chmod on a legacy Nova path without rejecting symlinks, so the operation follows a link to an attacker-selected system file or directory. An authenticated cPanel account must create the link beneath its home directory; changing the target's mode can crash services or enable local privilege escalation.
Summary
What happened
Symlink following in WebPros cPanel and WP Squared allows remote authenticated users to change arbitrary file permissions as root. The Cpanel::Nova::Connector code calls chmod on a legacy Nova path without rejecting symlinks, so the operation follows a link to an attacker-selected system file or directory. An authenticated cPanel account must create the link beneath its home directory; changing the target's mode can crash services or enable local privilege escalation.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-29203
- Published
- May 8, 2026
- Updated
- May 8, 2026
- Vendor
- WebPros
- Product
- cPanel
- Classifications
- CWE-61, T1222.002
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 8, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 8, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=11.102.0.0 <11.102.0.41
- Affected versionversion=11.110.0.0 <11.110.0.116
- Affected versionversion=11.110.0.0 <11.110.0.117
- Affected versionversion=11.110.0.0 <11.110.114
- Affected versionversion=11.118.0.0 <11.118.0.66
- Affected versionversion=11.124.0.0 <11.124.0.37
- Affected versionversion=11.126.0.0 <11.126.0.58
- Affected versionversion=11.130.0.0 <11.130.0.22
- Affected versionversion=11.132.0.0 <11.132.0.31
- Affected versionversion=11.134.0.0 <11.134.0.25
- Affected versionversion=11.136.0.0 <11.136.0.9
- Affected versionversion=11.86.0.0 <11.86.0.43
- Affected versionversion=11.94.0.0 <11.94.0.30
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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