# CVE-2026-28302: SolarWinds Serv-U IDOR privilege escalation in group management

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-28302-solarwinds-serv-u-idor-privilege-escalation-in-group-management  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-07-21. Updated: 2026-07-21  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-28302 · Severity: critical · CVSS 9.1 · Published 2026-07-21

SolarWinds Serv-U, a managed file transfer and FTP server, is affected by a security flaw that allows an attacker to gain full control over the system. By exploiting an authorization bypass, a user with group administrator privileges can elevate their access to execute commands as the root user. This could lead to a complete compromise of the server, including the theft or deletion of sensitive files and disruption of business operations.

Technologies: [SolarWinds Serv-U](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/serv-u). Vendors: [SolarWinds](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/solarwinds).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-28302 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-28302 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-28302?** Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 9.1, published 21 July 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** SolarWinds Serv-U 15.5.4 HF1 and below.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-28302?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2026-28302 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a network appliance.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-28302?** Check whether you run SolarWinds Serv-U at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

SolarWinds Serv-U (version 15.5.4 HF1 and below) contains an Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) vulnerability, classified as CWE-639. The flaw allows an attacker with existing group administrator privileges to bypass authorization checks by manipulating user-controlled keys. Successful exploitation enables the attacker to escalate privileges and achieve remote code execution with root/system-level authority. While the vulnerability is network-reachable, it requires high privileges (PR:H) to execute. The impact is noted to be lower on Windows deployments compared to Linux. SolarWinds has addressed this in version 2026.3.

## Affected products

- SolarWinds Serv-U 15.5.4 HF1 and below

## Timeline

- 2026-07-21: disclosed
- 2026-07-21: advisory

## References

- [https://documentation.solarwinds.com/en/success_center/servu/content/release_notes/servu_2026-3_release_notes.htm](https://documentation.solarwinds.com/en/success_center/servu/content/release_notes/servu_2026-3_release_notes.htm)
- [https://www.solarwinds.com/trust-center/security-advisories/CVE-2026-28302](https://www.solarwinds.com/trust-center/security-advisories/CVE-2026-28302)

## Related threats

- [SolarWinds Serv-U broken access control privilege escalation](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-28321-solarwinds-serv-u-broken-access-control-privilege-escalation)
- [SolarWinds Serv-U privilege escalation via IDOR](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-28317-solarwinds-serv-u-privilege-escalation-via-idor)
- [SolarWinds Serv-U IDOR privilege escalation to root](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-28316-solarwinds-serv-u-idor-privilege-escalation-to-root)
- [SolarWinds Serv-U stored XSS in administrator interface](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-28315-solarwinds-serv-u-stored-xss-in-administrator-interface)
- [SolarWinds Serv-U account takeover via IDOR](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-28314-solarwinds-serv-u-account-takeover-via-idor)