CVE-2025-40551 SolarWinds Web Help Desk: unsafe data loading
In plain words: The program unpacks saved data from outside without checking it is safe. Usually lets an attacker run code on the server.
Confirmed exploited by CISA on · US federal patch deadline Feb 6, 2026
What to do
- Install SolarWinds's security update for Web Help Desk. If no update exists, follow the vendor's workaround or stop using the product until one ships.
- Keep a list of every internet-facing server you run so nothing is forgotten.
- Patch anything in this catalog first, ahead of normal patch cycles.
- Put admin and file-transfer apps behind a VPN or single sign-on instead of the open internet.
Who is affected
Work IT. Aimed mostly at company systems — you are affected through the companies you use, not your own phone.
What's at risk: Mass data theft and ransomware: a single flaw in a file-transfer or email server has exposed thousands of organisations at once.
The details
- Official name
- SolarWinds Web Help Desk Deserialization of Untrusted Data Vulnerability
- Product
- SolarWinds Web Help Desk
- CISA description
- SolarWinds Web Help Desk contains a deserialization of untrusted data 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.
- Type of flaw
- Unsafe data loading (CWE-502)
- Confirmed exploited
- Feb 3, 2026
- US federal patch deadline
- Feb 6, 2026
Ask Cleus about it
Ask about a vulnerability, an update, a weird message, or the news. Plain-word answers, free, no account.
Answering about CVE-2025-40551 ·
Questions about CVE-2025-40551
Is CVE-2025-40551 being exploited?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2025-40551 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on Feb 3, 2026, which means there is reliable evidence of real-world attacks.
How do I fix CVE-2025-40551?
Install SolarWinds's security update for Web Help Desk. If no update exists, follow the vendor's workaround or stop using the product until one ships. Keep a list of every internet-facing server you run so nothing is forgotten.
Am I affected by CVE-2025-40551?
Only if you use SolarWinds Web Help Desk. Aimed mostly at company systems — you are affected through the companies you use, not your own phone.