VulnerabilityPublished 16 Mar 2026

CVE-2026-31386: LiteSpeed Technologies OpenLiteSpeed · OS Command Injection

Affects LiteSpeed Technologies OpenLiteSpeedSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.2 High.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 11:52 UTC

CVSS 3.0 base score

7.2High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 1.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 73% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: High
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: High: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide significant (e.g., administrative) control over the vulnerable component that could affect component-wide settings and files.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Availability: High: There is total loss of availability, resulting in the attacker being able to fully deny access to resources in the impacted component; this loss is either sustained (while the attacker continues to deliver the attack) or persistent (the condition persists even after the attack has completed). Alternatively, the attacker has the ability to deny some availability, but the loss of availability presents a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component (e.g., the attacker cannot disrupt existing connections, but can prevent new connections; the attacker can repeatedly exploit a vulnerability that, in each instance of a successful attack, leaks a only small amount of memory, but after repeated exploitation causes a service to become completely unavailable).

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 16 Mar 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 30 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LiteSpeed TechnologiesOpenLiteSpeed	Affected =all versions	Fixed in–
LiteSpeed TechnologiesLSWS Enterprise	Affected =all versions	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2026-31386, organizations should immediately verify the administrative access controls to ensure that only trusted personnel have elevated privileges on OpenLiteSpeed and LSWS Enterprise servers. Implement strict credential management policies, including multi-factor authentication for admin accounts, to reduce the risk of credential compromise. Monitor administrative activities and audit logs for suspicious command executions or unusual behavior. Since no official patches are linked yet, organizations should engage with LiteSpeed Technologies for updates and apply any available security patches promptly once released. In the interim, consider deploying web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious command injection patterns targeting the web server's administrative interfaces. Restrict network access to administrative interfaces using IP whitelisting or VPNs to limit exposure. Conduct thorough security assessments and penetration testing focused on command injection vectors within the administrative functions of the web server. Finally, maintain regular backups and have an incident response plan ready to quickly recover from potential exploitation.

Description

OpenLiteSpeed and LSWS Enterprise provided by LiteSpeed Technologies contain an OS command injection vulnerability. An arbitrary OS command may be executed by an attacker with the administrative privilege.

Impact

The impact of CVE-2026-31386 is substantial for organizations using OpenLiteSpeed or LSWS Enterprise web servers. Successful exploitation allows attackers with administrative privileges to execute arbitrary OS commands, which can lead to complete system compromise. This includes unauthorized access to sensitive data, modification or deletion of critical files, disruption of web services, and potential pivoting to other systems within the network. The vulnerability compromises confidentiality, integrity, and availability simultaneously, making it a critical risk for enterprise environments, hosting providers, and any organization relying on these web servers for public-facing or internal applications. Given the requirement for administrative privileges, the threat is particularly severe in scenarios where admin credentials are leaked, stolen, or otherwise compromised. The lack of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate risk but does not diminish the urgency for remediation, as attackers often develop exploits rapidly after disclosure. Organizations failing to address this vulnerability may face data breaches, service outages, reputational damage, and regulatory penalties depending on the nature of the compromised data and services.

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 16 Mar 2026, 05:50 UTC

Technical details

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