CVE-2016-3643
CVE-2016-3643 is a security flaw in SolarWinds Virtualization Manager, SolarWinds’ IT management software. Someone who already has a foothold can use SolarWinds Virtualization Manager to take full control of the machine. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 3 Nov 2021.[1]
SolarWinds Virtualization Manager is business software or equipment. Most families won’t have it, but attackers break into it to get inside companies, and from there to what those companies hold about their customers, patients and staff.
Description
CISA calls it a privilege escalation in SolarWinds Virtualization Manager. In its words: “SolarWinds Virtualization Manager allows for privilege escalation through leveraging a misconfiguration of sudo.”[1]
The CVE record adds: “SolarWinds Virtualization Manager 6.3.1 and earlier allow local users to gain privileges by leveraging a misconfiguration of sudo, as demonstrated by "sudo cat /etc/passwd."”[2]
The underlying weakness is permissions and access control (CWE-264), in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.
It scores 7.8 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it high, scored by NVD using CVSS 3.1.[2]
Affected versions
NVD’s record doesn’t list version ranges for it. CISA names the product as SolarWinds Virtualization Manager.
Most families won’t have SolarWinds Virtualization Manager; it’s for whoever looks after IT at work.
Exploitation
CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 3 Nov 2021, 1,965 days after it was made public. CISA lists a flaw only when it has reliable evidence of it being exploited, and gave US federal agencies until 3 May 2022 to fix it.[1]
FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System, which estimates how likely a flaw is to be used in attacks in the next 30 days from what it sees across the internet, puts it at 4%. That’s in the top 11% of the flaws it scores.[3]
CISA assesses it as not automatable: each attack takes some work.
CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.
Fix
CISA’s required action: “Apply updates per vendor instructions.”[1]
- Check whether you use it.SolarWinds Virtualization Manager is business software or equipment, so most families won’t have it. If you run a business, or work from home on company equipment, ask whoever looks after your IT.
- Send this page to your IT person.Ask them to confirm it’s fixed, or not in use. CISA gave US government agencies until 3 May 2022 to fix it.
- If it can’t be fixed, take it offline.CISA’s advice when there’s no fix is to stop using the product, or take it off the internet, until there is one.
You can’t fix someone else’s server, but you can watch for what follows a break-in like this: a breach notice, a password reset you didn’t ask for, or a scam message that knows things it shouldn’t. HARD watches for those for you and your family.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| The flaw is made public in the National Vulnerability Database, with a severity score of 7.8.[2] | |
| CISA adds it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks.[1] | |
| CISA’s deadline for US government agencies to fix it.[1] | |
| FIRST puts the odds of it being used in attacks in the next 30 days at 4%.[3] |
See also
Other SolarWinds flaws
- CVE-2026-28318, SolarWinds Serv-U: uncontrolled resource consumption ·
- CVE-2025-26399, SolarWinds Web Help Desk: deserialization of untrusted data ·
- CVE-2025-40536, SolarWinds Web Help Desk: security control bypass ·
- CVE-2025-40551, SolarWinds Web Help Desk: deserialization of untrusted data ·
- CVE-2024-28987, SolarWinds Web Help Desk: hardcoded credential ·
Other permissions and access control flaws
- CVE-2015-3246, Red Hat Libuser: race condition ·
- CVE-2013-0643, Adobe Flash Player: incorrect default permissions ·
- CVE-2016-0165, Microsoft Win32k: privilege escalation ·
- CVE-2015-6175, Microsoft Windows: kernel privilege escalation ·
- CVE-2015-1769, Microsoft Windows: mount manager privilege escalation ·
Added the same day
- CVE-2021-42258, BQE BillQuick Web Suite: SQL injection ·
- CVE-2021-42013, Apache HTTP Server: path traversal ·
- CVE-2021-41773, Apache HTTP Server: path traversal ·
- CVE-2021-40539, Zoho ManageEngine: aDSelfService plus authentication bypass ·
- CVE-2021-40444, Microsoft MSHTML: remote code execution ·
Every SolarWinds flaw on CISA’s list · Everything added in November 2021
References
- ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “SolarWinds Virtualization Manager Privilege Escalation Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 3 Nov 2021.
- ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2016-3643 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 17 Jun 2016.
- ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.037, percentile 89.7, 31 Oct 2026.
- CVE Program. “CVE-2016-3643”. The official CVE record.
This article is built from CISA’s catalog (version 2026.10.30), NVD’s record and FIRST’s scores, kept in HARD’s database and checked every morning. The plain English is HARD’s.