CVE-2025-40552: SolarWinds Web Help Desk · Weak Authentication
Affects SolarWinds Web Help DeskSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · public detection template (Nuclei) · 51% EPSS · CVSS 9.8 Critical.
Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC
- EPSS
- 51.9% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 98% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 28 Jan 2026
Detectable: evidence found.
nuclei template: SolarWinds Web Help Desk - Authentication Bypass
Weaponised: 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 2026-10-25.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| SolarWindsWeb Help Desk | Affected
| Fixed in– |
AI-suggested
1. Immediately upgrade SolarWinds Web Help Desk to a version above 12.8.8 HF1 once a patch is released by the vendor. Monitor SolarWinds advisories closely for updates. 2. Until patches are available, restrict network access to the Web Help Desk application using firewalls or network segmentation to limit exposure to trusted internal IPs only. 3. Implement strict access controls and multi-factor authentication on the management interfaces surrounding the help desk system to reduce risk of unauthorized access. 4. Monitor logs and network traffic for unusual or unauthorized access attempts to the Web Help Desk, focusing on anomalous API calls or method invocations. 5. Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing on the help desk environment to detect potential exploitation attempts. 6. Educate IT staff about the vulnerability and encourage vigilance for suspicious activity. 7. Consider deploying Web Application Firewalls (WAF) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious authentication bypass attempts targeting the help desk application. 8. Maintain an incident response plan specifically addressing potential compromise of IT service management tools to enable rapid containment and recovery.
Description
SolarWinds Web Help Desk was found to be susceptible to an authentication bypass vulnerability that if exploited, would allow a malicious actor to execute actions and methods that should be protected by authentication.
References
- solarwinds.com/trust-center/security-advisories/CVE-2025-40552 (opens in a new tab)
- documentation.solarwinds.com/en/success_center/whd/content/release_notes/whd_2026-1_release_notes.htm (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/watchtowrlabs/watchTowr-vs-SolarWinds-WebHelpDesk-CVE-2025-40552-CVE-2025-40553/blob/main/watchTowr-vs-SolarWinds-WebHelpDesk-CVE-2025-40552-CVE-2025-40553.py (opens in a new tab)