Hazard

Is CVE-2025-40551 being exploited?

Weaponised and widely attempted

Reliable public exploit code exists, or mass exploitation attempts are probable. Patch inside days, not weeks.

SolarWinds Web Help Desk Deserialization of Untrusted Data Vulnerability

SolarWinds · Web Help Desk

CVSS 9.8 EPSS 84% no public exploit indexed Fix deadline passed 6 February 2026

What it is

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.

Why we say that

  • EPSS puts exploitation in the next 30 days at 84%
  • CISA's federal remediation deadline (2026-02-06) has passed
  • CVSS 9.8 critical
  • Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue

Every line above comes from a named public source. Where the evidence is thin, we say so rather than inventing confidence — see methodology.

What to do

Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

What it costs when this goes wrong

This is where UK enforcement meets the vulnerability record. Where an unfixed vulnerability leads to a breach, the ICO treats it as a security failure under UK GDPR. Recent cases:

All UK cases caused by unpatched software →