CVE-2023-35181
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedThe SolarWinds Access Rights Manager was susceptible to Privilege Escalation Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows users to abuse incorrect folder permission resulting in Privilege Escalation.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceSolarWinds Access Rights Manager contains a privilege escalation vulnerability where incorrect folder permissions allow users to elevate their privileges beyond their assigned access levels. An authenticated user can potentially exploit misconfigured folder permissions to gain unauthorized access to sensitive functionality or data.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data<= 2023.2.0.73CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed version of SolarWinds Access Rights ManagerOpen Windows Registry and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SolarWinds\Access Rights Manager\CurrentVersion, or check Add/Remove Programs for the installed version numberAffected if The installed version is 2023.2.0.73 or earlier (any version up to and including 2023.2.0.73)
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Locate the SolarWinds Access Rights Manager installation directoryCheck the default installation path, typically C:\Program Files\SolarWinds\Access Rights Manager or C:\Program Files (x86)\SolarWinds\Access Rights Manager, or right-click the application in Start Menu and select 'Open file location'Affected if Installation directory exists on the system
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Check folder permissions on the installation root directoryRight-click the installation folder, select Properties, go to the Security tab, and review which users and groups have access. Pay particular attention to the Everyone group or Users group having Full Control or Modify permissionsAffected if Users with low privilege levels (such as standard users or the Users group) have excessive permissions (Full Control, Modify, or Write) on critical folders within the installation directory
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Inspect permissions on subdirectories containing executables and configurationsExamine folder permissions on bin, conf, config, or similar subdirectories within the installation path. Check if authenticated users or the Users group can write to these foldersAffected if Authenticated users can write to folders containing executables, configurations, or sensitive data within the ARM installation directory
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Verify if standard users can modify application filesUsing icacls from an elevated command prompt, run 'icacls "<installation_path>\*" /T' to list all permissions, or attempt to create or modify a file in the bin/config folders using a standard user accountAffected if Standard (non-admin) users can add, modify, or delete files in application folders outside of designated user data directories
The environment is affected if SolarWinds Access Rights Manager version 2023.2.0.73 or earlier is installed AND the installation directory or its subfolders grant excessive permissions (Write, Modify, or Full Control) to standard users or the Users group.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scopedReview and correct folder permissions within the SolarWinds Access Rights Manager installation directory to ensure proper access controls. Follow the principle of least privilege for all folder and file permissions.
2023.2.0.74 or later (latest available Access Rights Manager release)
- 1. Verify the current installed version of SolarWinds Access Rights Manager
- 2. Download the latest version of SolarWinds Access Rights Manager from the official SolarWinds download portal or customer portal
- 3. Review the release notes for version 2023.2.0.74 or later to confirm the security fix for CVE-2023-35181 is included
- 4. Before upgrading, backup the current configuration and database according to SolarWinds backup procedures
- 5. Install the upgraded version following the standard SolarWinds upgrade documentation
- 6. After upgrade, verify that folder permissions have been corrected and no longer allow unprivileged users to modify protected directories
- 7. Test that the application functions normally post-upgrade
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-35181 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-35181 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data