Detect CVE-2025-40551 — SolarWinds Web Help Desk Deserialization RCE in Elastic Security
Detects exploitation of CVE-2025-40551, a deserialization of untrusted data vulnerability in SolarWinds Web Help Desk. Successful exploitation allows unauthenticated or low-privileged attackers to achieve remote code execution on the WHD server. This CVE is listed in CISA KEV, indicating active exploitation in the wild.
MITRE ATT&CK
- Tactic
- Initial Access Execution Persistence
Elastic Detection Query
sequence by host.name with maxspan=30s
[process where process.name : ("java", "javaw", "tomcat*") and event.type == "start"]
[process where process.parent.name : ("java", "javaw", "tomcat*") and process.name : ("cmd.exe", "powershell.exe", "wscript.exe", "cscript.exe", "mshta.exe", "certutil.exe", "whoami.exe", "curl.exe", "wget.exe", "net.exe") and event.type == "start"]EQL sequence detecting a WHD/Java/Tomcat parent process followed within 30 seconds by a suspicious shell or utility child process, consistent with deserialization RCE.
Data Sources
Required Tables
False Positives & Tuning
- Automated Java-based administrative tooling spawning shell processes
- Monitoring agents running under the Tomcat process tree
- Application health checks or diagnostic scripts triggered by WHD
- Software update or patching workflows using cmd or PowerShell
Other platforms for CVE-2025-40551
Testing Methodology
Validate this detection against 4 adversary techniques from Atomic Red Team. Each test below lists the behaviour to exercise and the telemetry you should expect to see. Executable commands and cleanup steps are available with Pro.
- Test 1Simulate WHD Deserialization RCE — Whoami Execution
Expected signal: ProcessCreate event with ParentImage=java.exe and Image=whoami.exe; captured by Sysmon EventID 1 or Defender DeviceProcessEvents
- Test 2Simulate WHD Deserialization RCE — PowerShell Reverse Shell Stub
Expected signal: ProcessCreate with ParentImage=java.exe, Image=powershell.exe, CommandLine containing '-NoProfile'; network telemetry if actual reverse shell payload used
- Test 3Simulate WHD Web Shell Drop via Java Process
Expected signal: FileCreate event for shell.jsp under WHD webapps directory, initiated by java.exe; Sysmon EventID 11 or DeviceFileEvents
- Test 4Simulate WHD Outbound C2 Callback from Java Process (Linux)
Expected signal: Network connection from java or curl process to external IP on non-standard port; captured by auditd, Falco, or network flow telemetry
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