CVE-2026-29203 (CVSS 8.8)

Description

A chmod call in the cPanel Nova plugin's Cpanel::Nova::Connector follows symlinks, allowing setting root permissions on arbitrary system files or directories. That can cause DoS or local privilege escalation when an authenticated cPanel user places a symlink at a user-controlled legacy Nova path under their home directory.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

8.8

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0005

Probability of exploitation

0.15%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-61 CWE-61

References

Other References

https://support.cpanel.net/hc/en-us/articles/40311543760407-Security-CVE-2026-29203-cPanel-WHM-WP2-Security-Update-May-08-2026

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-29203? +

A chmod call in the cPanel Nova plugin's Cpanel::Nova::Connector follows symlinks, allowing setting root permissions on arbitrary system files or directories. That can cause DoS or local privilege escalation when an authenticated cPanel user places a symlink at a user-controlled legacy Nova path under their home directory. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2026-29203? +

CVE-2026-29203 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.8 out of 10, rated HIGH. This is a high-severity vulnerability that should be prioritized for patching. The EPSS score is 0.0005, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-29203? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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