Actively exploited · Published Jan 28, 2026 · Assigned by SolarWinds
CVE-2025-40551SolarWinds Web Help Desk Deserialization of Untrusted Data Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
Critical 9.8 Exploited
In plain English
A critical-severity unsafe deserialization in Web Help Desk from SolarWinds. Attackers are actively exploiting it in the wild (listed by CISA on February 3, 2026). The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 84.2% (higher than 99.7% of all known vulnerabilities). Ready-made attack tooling exists: Metasploit, Nuclei. Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
CISA guidance
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Federal agencies must remediate by Feb 6, 2026.
Official description
SolarWinds Web Help Desk was found to be susceptible to an untrusted data deserialization vulnerability that could lead to remote code execution, which would allow an attacker to run commands on the host machine. This could be exploited without authentication.
Affected products (as reported)
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| SolarWinds | Web Help Desk | 12.8.8 HF1 and below |
Weakness: CWE-502 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
References
- https://www.solarwinds.com/trust-center/security-advisories/CVE-2025-40551 vendor-advisory, patch
- https://documentation.solarwinds.com/en/success_center/whd/content/release_notes/whd_2026-1_release_notes.htm release-notes
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2025-40551 government-resource