Network Configuration ManagerApplication · Solarwinds

CVE-2023-40055

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-11-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2023.4 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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 · unedited
The Network Configuration Manager was susceptible to a Directory Traversal Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows a low-level user to perform the actions with SYSTEM privileges. We found this issue was not resolved in CVE-2023-33227

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 · high confidence

A directory traversal vulnerability in SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager allows authenticated low-privilege users to escape the web root and execute arbitrary code with SYSTEM-level privileges by manipulating file path parameters in HTTP requests.

MitigationApply the vendor patch for CVE-2023-40055; until patched, restrict network access to the NCM management interface and monitor for anomalous file path patterns in HTTP requests.

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
Network Configuration ManagerApplication
Affected:<= 2023.4

CVSS 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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm SolarWinds NCM is installed
    Check for the SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager service or process on the system, or look for the NCM installation directory
    Affected if The software is present on the system
  2. Identify installed NCM version
    Access the NCM web interface and navigate to the About or Version section, or check the installation directory for version information
    Affected if The installed version is 2023.4 or lower
  3. Verify web interface accessibility
    Check if the NCM web management interface is reachable over the network on its configured port (typically 443 or 8080)
    Affected if The web interface is network-accessible
  4. Review user account configuration
    Check the NCM user management interface for the presence of low-privilege user accounts that could be exploited
    Affected if There are authenticated users with limited privileges who could exploit this path traversal flaw
  5. Inspect HTTP access logs for path traversal patterns
    Review NCM web server logs for unusual file path patterns in HTTP requests, such as sequences like ../../ or absolute paths outside the web root
    Affected if Anomalous file path patterns are observed in HTTP traffic to NCM

A user is affected if SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager version 2023.4 or lower is installed with the web interface accessible to authenticated users, enabling a path traversal attack for code execution.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 2023.4
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor patch for CVE-2023-40055; until patched, restrict network access to the NCM management interface and monitor for anomalous file path patterns in HTTP requests.

Fix this in Network Configuration Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-40055 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-40055 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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