Hackers are actively exploiting a bug in cPanel, used by millions of websites

Security researchers are sounding the alarm on a newly discovered vulnerability in the widely used web server management software cPanel and WebHost Manager (WHM). The bug allows hackers to hijack and take full control of the servers running the affected software, which is thought to be used by tens of millions of website owners around the world. Many commercial web hosting companies have patched their customers’ systems already. But the cPanel maker urged customers to ensure that their systems are patched as the bug affects all supported versions of the software. cPanel and WHM are two software suites used for managing web servers that host websites, manage emails, and handle important configurations and databases needed to maintain an internet domain. The two suites have deep-access to the servers that they manage, allowing a malicious hacker potentially unrestricted access to data managed by the affected software. The bug, officially tracked as CVE-2026-41940, allows malicious hackers to remotely bypass its login screen to gain full access to the software’s administration panel. Given the ubiquity of the cPanel and WHM software across the web hosting industry, hackers could compromise potentially large numbers of websites that haven’t patched the bug. Canada’s national cybersecurity agency