CVE-2024-28995
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 · uneditedSolarWinds Serv-U was susceptible to a directory transversal vulnerability that would allow access to read sensitive files on the host machine.
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 confidenceSolarWinds Serv-U contains a directory traversal vulnerability that allows authenticated or unauthenticated attackers to escape the intended directory and read sensitive files on the host machine by manipulating file path references using '..' sequences.
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< 15.4.2= 15.4.2CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 Serv-U versionCheck the SolarWinds Serv-U installation - typically via Windows Programs and Features, or run 'Serv-UAdmin.exe' and view the About/version information. On Linux, check /usr/local/serv-u or the installation directory for version files.Affected if The installed version is any version prior to 15.4.2, or exactly version 15.4.2 (versions < 15.4.2 or = 15.4.2 are vulnerable)
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Verify Serv-U HTTP service is running and exposedCheck if the Serv-U web administration interface or file transfer service is listening on its HTTP/HTTPS ports (typically ports 80, 443, or 8080). Use 'netstat -an | findstr LISTENING' or similar to identify listening ports, or check the Serv-U service status.Affected if The Serv-U HTTP service is running and accessible from network locations (not localhost-only or firewalled)
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Confirm network accessibility of Serv-UDetermine if the Serv-U service is bound to all network interfaces (0.0.0.0) versus localhost only (127.0.0.1). Review any firewall rules or network ACLs that may allow external access to the Serv-U ports.Affected if The Serv-U HTTP interface is reachable from untrusted networks or the internet without proper access controls
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Review Serv-U logs for path traversal attemptsExamine Serv-U logs (typically in the Serv-U logs directory) for suspicious path traversal patterns in HTTP requests, such as sequences containing '../' or '..\' directed at sensitive system paths.Affected if Log analysis reveals any path traversal attempts (../) in HTTP requests, indicating potential exploitation attempts
You are affected if your Serv-U installation is version 15.4.2 or any version prior to 15.4.2 AND the HTTP service is network-accessible, regardless of whether exploitation has occurred.
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 · scoped15.4.2
Apply the vendor-supplied patch or update to SolarWinds Serv-U immediately. If patching is delayed, restrict network access to the Serv-U service and implement strict file system permissions as a temporary compensating control.
Serv-U version greater than 15.4.2 (contact SolarWinds for the specific fixed release)
- 1. Identify the current Serv-U version by checking the Serv-U administration interface or using the command line: Serv-U -v or checking the installation directory for version information
- 2. Back up all Serv-U configuration files, user data, and settings before proceeding with the upgrade
- 3. Download the latest version of Serv-U from the official SolarWinds download portal at https://www.solarwinds.com/
- 4. Stop the Serv-U service before applying the upgrade: net stop Serv-U or through the Services console
- 5. Install the upgraded version of Serv-U, ensuring to preserve existing configuration settings during installation
- 6. Start the Serv-U service after installation completes: net start Serv-U or through the Services console
- 7. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the Serv-U version again and confirming it is greater than 15.4.2
- 8. Test that file transfer functionality and the Serv-U web interface are functioning normally
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-28995 — 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-2024-28995 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
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