The Acronis Backup plugin adds Acronis cloud backups to cPanel & WHM. Server administrators manage backups in WHM, and each cPanel user can restore their own files, databases and email. This guide covers installing the plugin, keeping it updated, and fixing it when it goes missing.
Security notice (September 2026): a flaw in this plugin, CVE-2026-87886, lets a low-privileged user on the server gain higher access, and Acronis has seen it used in real attacks. Every build older than 1.9.3.1021 is affected. If you already run the plugin, update it now (step 2). BleepingComputer report
Quick answer
- Update (fixes CVE-2026-87886):
yum update acronis-backup-cpanelon AlmaLinux or CloudLinux;apt update && apt upgrade acronis-backup-cpanelon Ubuntu. - Install: run Acronis's install script as root (step 1), then finish the setup in WHM › Plugins › Acronis Backup.
- Plugin missing in cPanel or showing a 404: update the plugin. Old builds do not support cPanel's current Jupiter theme.
What you need: root SSH access to the cPanel server, and an Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud account (usually provided by your hosting or backup provider). Supported systems include AlmaLinux 8–10, CloudLinux, Rocky Linux and Ubuntu 20.04/22.04, with cPanel & WHM 11.102 or newer. Acronis plugin guide (cPanel itself no longer supports Rocky Linux, and supports only Ubuntu 24.04 for new installs; see How to Install cPanel.)
1. Install the plugin
Log in to the server as root and run Acronis's official install script:
sh <(curl -L https://download.acronis.com/ci/cpanel/stable/install_acronis_cpanel.sh || wget -O - https://download.acronis.com/ci/cpanel/stable/install_acronis_cpanel.sh)
The script installs the latest stable version and adds Acronis's package repository to the server, so future updates come through the normal yum or apt commands. Acronis plugin guide
Then finish the setup in WHM:
- Open WHM › Plugins › Acronis Backup.
- Sign in with your Acronis account. If it uses two-factor authentication, enter the code when asked.
- When prompted to install the backup agent, click Enable. The agent does the actual backup work, and is installed and registered automatically.
- Choose or create a protection plan (what to back up, and how often).
Your cPanel users now see Acronis Backup in their cPanel, where they can restore their own data.
2. Update the plugin
Updating installs the newest version from Acronis's repository, including the fix for CVE-2026-87886.
First check which version you have.
On AlmaLinux or CloudLinux:
rpm -q acronis-backup-cpanel
On Ubuntu:
dpkg -l acronis-backup-cpanel
If the version is lower than 1.9.3.1021, the server is affected. Update it.
On AlmaLinux or CloudLinux:
yum update acronis-backup-cpanel
On Ubuntu:
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade acronis-backup-cpanel
Run the version check again to confirm the new version. Do not go back to an older version afterwards: Acronis does not support downgrades, because updates can also change the plugin's internal database. Acronis plugin guide
The backup agent is updated separately, either automatically or from the Acronis web console, depending on your account settings.
If yum or apt finds no update and your version is still old, the plugin was probably installed before Acronis's repository existed. Run the install script from step 1 again: it installs the latest version and adds the repository, so updates work from then on.
Plugin missing in cPanel, or a 404 error
cPanel version 100 (2021–22) made Jupiter the default cPanel theme, replacing Paper Lantern. Acronis plugin builds from before then did not support Jupiter: the plugin disappeared from cPanel for end users, and opening it gave a 404 error. At the time the workaround was a manually downloaded fixed build. Today, simply update the plugin (step 2): current versions support Jupiter fully.
If the plugin is still missing after updating:
- Check that it is installed with the version command in step 2.
- Reinstall it: uninstall it as shown below, then run the install script from step 1. Uninstalling keeps the server's link to its protection plan and backups, so they are still there after the reinstall.
- If it is still missing, contact your Acronis service provider with the plugin version and your cPanel version (
/usr/local/cpanel/cpanel -V).
Uninstall
To remove the plugin, run yum remove acronis-backup-cpanel (or sudo apt remove acronis-backup-cpanel on Ubuntu). This keeps the server's link to its protection plan and backups in the Acronis cloud, so reinstalling later picks up where it left off. Acronis plugin guide
On the servers we cleaned, removing the plugin did not remove the backup agent (Cyber Protection Agent), which kept running until it was uninstalled separately. To remove the agent too, and the leftovers neither uninstall cleans up, see How to Uninstall and Remove Acronis Backup from a cPanel Server.