Security Control Bypass in SolarWinds Web Help Desk
CVE-2025-40536 is a security control bypass vulnerability in SolarWinds Web Help Desk affecting version 12.8.8 HF1 and all previous versions, fixed in version 2026.1. Available reporting states the flaw allows an unauthenticated attacker to gain access to certain restricted functionality. More specific technical reporting indicates the issue is tied to Web Help Desk CSRF-check logic that relies on a whitelist for query-parameter validation; crafted URI parameters can bypass that logic and reach restricted application functionality without authentication. CISA has added the issue to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and Microsoft reported active exploitation of internet-exposed Web Help Desk instances, although public reporting did not conclusively attribute the observed intrusions specifically to this CVE versus other contemporaneous Web Help Desk flaws.
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Impact, mitigation & remediation
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Impact
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Exploits
2 valid exploits after Mallory filtered fakes, detection scripts, and README-only repos (1 hidden).
Repository contains a single Python exploit tool (CVE-2025-40554.py) plus a README. The script targets SolarWinds Web Help Desk WebObjects endpoints and implements an end-to-end workflow: (1) normalize a target base URL, (2) establish an HTTP session to /helpdesk/WebObjects/Helpdesk.woa and extract the WebObjects session id (WOSID) and optional XSRF token from headers/cookies/body, (3) test/trigger an authentication bypass by requesting /helpdesk/WebObjects/Helpdesk.woa/wo/bogus.wo/<WOSID>/1.0 with parameters badparam=/ajax/ and wopage=LoginPref, and (4) optionally perform default-credential login testing and “exploit mode” actions such as session cookie export for use in a browser/Burp and admin-related enumeration. It supports single-target and bulk scanning from a file, quiet output, and saving vulnerable targets to an output file. No external exploit framework is used; it is a standalone network exploitation script.
Repository contains a Nuclei template plus a standalone Python PoC targeting SolarWinds Web Help Desk (WHD) authentication bypass (CVE-2025-40554; script also mentions CVE-2025-40536). Structure: - CVE-2025-40554.yaml: Nuclei detection template that requests /helpdesk/WebObjects/Helpdesk.woa, fingerprints WHD via page keywords, extracts a build token (?v=...) to derive a dotted version, and flags targets with version < 2026.1. - exploit_auth_bypass.py: Operational network PoC that automates (1) session establishment and extraction of WebObjects session id (wosid) from headers/cookies/body and optional XSRF token, (2) bypass check by requesting /helpdesk/WebObjects/Helpdesk.woa/wo/bogus.wo/{wosid}/1.0 with parameters badparam=/ajax/ and wopage=LoginPref and looking for indicators like externalAuthContainer/JSONRpcClient/SAML/LoginPref, and (3) optional login by parsing the login form action, CSRF field (_csrf), and submit control, then POSTing credentials (default client/client). It supports single target (-t) or list mode (-l), quiet output (-q), and writes results to an output file (default vulnerable_login.txt). - README.md: Usage examples, Shodan favicon hash query, and Nuclei invocation. - requirements.txt: requests dependency. Capabilities: remote unauthenticated bypass verification against WHD WebObjects endpoints and optional credentialed login attempt; no explicit code execution payload is implemented, though the README/YAML note that vendor scoring suggests potential RCE impact in the broader vulnerability set.
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Recent activity
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SolarWinds Web Help Desk security control bypass vulnerability that could allow unauthenticated access to certain restricted functionality; possibly implicated in observed attacks (exact CVE not confirmed).
A security control bypass vulnerability affecting SolarWinds Web Help Desk versions prior to 12.8.8 Hotfix 1 (HF1), for which a Nuclei detection template is being added and validated against vulnerable and patched instances.
A critical authentication/security protection bypass in SolarWinds Web Help Desk caused by bypassable CSRF-check logic (whitelist-based query parameter validation), enabling access to restricted functionality without authentication.
A critical authentication/security protection bypass in SolarWinds Web Help Desk (WHD) caused by bypassable CSRF-check logic (whitelist validation of query parameters), enabling access to restricted functionality without authentication via crafted URI parameters.
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