CVE-2025-40553
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 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.
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 Web Help Desk contains an insecure deserialization vulnerability where untrusted data is being deserialized without proper validation. An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit this to inject malicious serialized objects, leading to arbitrary code execution on the host machine.
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< 2026.1CVSS 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
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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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Confirm SolarWinds Web Help Desk is installedOn Windows, check Program Files for 'SolarWinds\Web Help Desk' folder or review installed programs list. On Linux, check /opt/swhd/ or common installation directories.Affected if The SolarWinds Web Help Desk software is present on the system
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Determine the installed versionLocate the version information in the software: check the About page in the Web Help Desk admin interface, or look for a version file in the installation directory (often named version.txt, about.html, or embedded in a .properties file).Affected if The installed version is lower than 2026.1 (for example, 2025.x, 2024.x, or earlier)
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Verify the application is network-accessibleConfirm the Web Help Desk web interface is reachable over HTTP/HTTPS from the network. Check firewall rules and listener configuration.Affected if The application is accessible remotely without authentication
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Review application logs for deserialization anomaliesExamine Web Help Desk logs (typically in the 'logs' subdirectory of the installation) for Java deserialization errors, unexpected serialized data in request logs, or suspicious error messages related to object instantiation.Affected if Logs show deserialization errors, unexpected class loading, or suspicious request patterns
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Check for signs of code execution or intrusionInspect the system for unexpected processes, new scheduled tasks, or suspicious files in the Web Help Desk directory. Review the host for any webshells or unexpected executables.Affected if Unusual processes, files, or persistence mechanisms are found on the host
A user is affected if SolarWinds Web Help Desk is installed with a version lower than 2026.1 and the application is network-accessible, particularly if logs show deserialization errors or signs of compromise.
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 · scoped2026.1
Apply the vendor-supplied patch or upgrade to a fixed version of SolarWinds Web Help Desk as soon as possible. If a patch is unavailable, isolate the application behind a restrictive firewall and monitor for Indicators of Compromise.
2026.1
- Obtain Web Help Desk version 2026.1 from the official SolarWinds download portal
- Back up the current Web Help Desk installation and database
- Stop the Web Help Desk service
- Install version 2026.1 following standard upgrade procedures
- Restart the Web Help Desk service after installation completes
- Verify the upgrade was successful by confirming the service is running and accessible
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-40553 — 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-2025-40553 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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