Serv-U Path Restriction Bypass Allows Admin Code Exec on Windows
CVE-2025-40549 Published on November 18, 2025
SolarWinds Serv-U Path Restriction Bypass Vulnerability
A Path Restriction Bypass vulnerability exists in Serv-U that when abused, could give a malicious actor with access to admin privileges the ability to execute code on a directory.
This issue requires administrative privileges to abuse. On Windows systems, this scored as medium due to differences in how paths and home directories are handled.
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2025-40549 can be exploited with network access, and requires user privileges. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to be critical as this vulnerability has a high impact to the confidentiality, integrity and availability of this component.
Weakness Type
What is a Directory traversal Vulnerability?
The software uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the software does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.
CVE-2025-40549 has been classified to as a Directory traversal vulnerability or weakness.
Products Associated with CVE-2025-40549
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Affected Versions
SolarWinds Serv-U Version SolarWinds Serv-U 15.5.2 and prior versions is affected by CVE-2025-40549Exploit Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.