CVE-2024-28987
CVE-2024-28987 is a security flaw in SolarWinds Web Help Desk, SolarWinds’ IT management software. Attackers can get into SolarWinds Web Help Desk without a valid password. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 15 Oct 2024.[1]
SolarWinds Web Help Desk 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. SolarWinds has published a fix or advice.
Description
CISA calls it a hardcoded credential in SolarWinds Web Help Desk. In its words: “SolarWinds Web Help Desk contains a hardcoded credential vulnerability that could allow a remote, unauthenticated user to access internal functionality and modify data.”[1]
The underlying weakness is hard-coded credentials (CWE-798), in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.[2]
It scores 9.1 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it critical, scored by NVD using CVSS 3.1.[2]
Affected versions
NVD’s record doesn’t list version ranges for it; SolarWinds’s advisory has them[3]. CISA names the product as SolarWinds Web Help Desk.
Most families won’t have SolarWinds Web Help Desk; it’s for whoever looks after IT at work.
Exploitation
CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 15 Oct 2024, 55 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 5 Nov 2024 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 93%. That’s in the top 1% of the flaws it scores.[4]
CISA assesses it as automatable: attackers can run it against many targets at once.
CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.
Fix
SolarWinds has published a fix or advice.[3] CISA’s required action: “Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.”[1]
- Check whether you use it.SolarWinds Web Help Desk 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 5 Nov 2024 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 9.1.[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 93%.[4] |
See also
Other SolarWinds Web Help Desk flaws
- CVE-2025-26399: deserialization of untrusted data ·
- CVE-2025-40536: security control bypass ·
- CVE-2025-40551: deserialization of untrusted data ·
- CVE-2024-28986: deserialization of untrusted data ·
Other SolarWinds flaws
- CVE-2026-28318, SolarWinds Serv-U: uncontrolled resource consumption ·
- CVE-2024-28995, SolarWinds Serv-U: path traversal ·
- CVE-2021-35247, SolarWinds Serv-U: improper input validation ·
- CVE-2021-35211, SolarWinds Serv-U: remote code execution ·
- CVE-2020-10148, SolarWinds Orion: authentication bypass ·
Other hard-coded credentials flaws
- CVE-2026-22769, Dell RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines (RP4VMs): use of hard-coded credentials ·
- CVE-2025-14611, Gladinet CentreStack and Triofox: hard coded cryptographic ·
- CVE-2019-6693, Fortinet FortiOS: use of hard-coded credentials ·
- CVE-2021-44207, Acclaim Systems USAHERDS: use of hard-coded credentials ·
- CVE-2024-3272, D-Link Multiple NAS Devices: use of hard-coded credentials ·
Added the same day
- CVE-2024-9680, Mozilla Firefox: use-after-free ·
- CVE-2024-30088, Microsoft Windows: kernel TOCTOU race condition ·
Every SolarWinds flaw on CISA’s list · Everything added in October 2024
References
- ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “SolarWinds Web Help Desk Hardcoded Credential Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 15 Oct 2024.
- ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2024-28987 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 21 Aug 2024.
- ^ SolarWinds. Advisories and fixes: solarwinds.com, support.solarwinds.com.
- ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.933, percentile 99.8, 31 Oct 2026.
- CVE Program. “CVE-2024-28987”. 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.