Documentation forWeb Help Desk
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WHD 12.8.5 Hotfix 2 release notes

Release date: April 23, 2025

Last updated: May 5, 2025

Installation instructions: May 5, 2025

Here's what's new in WHD 12.8.5 Hotfix 2. You can find the applicable system requirements here.

To view release notes, system requirements, and product guide PDFs for supported versions of WHD, see WHD previous versions. To view release notes for multiple versions and multiple SolarWinds Platform products on a single page, see the release notes aggregator.

Attention 12.8.5 Hotfix 2 customers

Web Help Desk 12.8.5 Hotfix 2 provides bug and security fixes for release 12.8.5. It also includes all the fixes from Hotfix 1, as well as enhancements and other fixes. For information about the 12.8.5 release, including EOL notices and upgrade information, see WHD 12.8.5 Release Notes.

These instructions were updated on May 5, 2025. If you installed WHD 12.8.5 Hotfix 2 before May 6, 2025, complete the additional steps for hotfix 2.

New features and improvements in WHD

Tomcat upgrade

Although WHD was not impacted by CVE-2025-24813, we upgraded Tomcat to the latest and most secure version available (9.0.102).

PostgreSQL upgrade

Although WHD was not impacted by CVE-2025-1094, we upgraded PostgreSQL to the latest and most secure version available (13.20).

Keystore file access improvements

The process for getting the Keystore file has been improved.

JVM argument removed

The JVM argument -DskipOSDetector introduced in 12.8.5 has been removed.

Fixed CVEs

At SolarWinds, we prioritize the swift resolution of CVEs to ensure the security and integrity of our software. In this release, we have successfully addressed the following CVEs.

Third-party CVEs

CVE-ID Vulnerability title Description Severity
CVE-2023-7101 Spreadsheet::ParseExcel Arbitrary Code Execution Vulnerability

Spreadsheet::ParseExcel version 0.65 is a Perl module used for parsing Excel files. Spreadsheet::ParseExcel is vulnerable to an arbitrary code execution (ACE) vulnerability due to passing unvalidated input from a file into a string-type “eval”. Specifically, the issue stems from the evaluation of Number format strings (not to be confused with printf-style format strings) within the Excel parsing logic.

First fixed in 12.8.5 Hotfix 1. More fixes were added to WHD 12.8.5 Hotfix 1 to further resolve CVE-2023-7101.

 7.8 High

Fixed customer issues

Case number Description
01889285 PostgreSQL has been upgraded to version 13.20.
01900363, 01893975, 01868418, 01897046, 01898009, 01889597, 01905942, 01897046 WHD application can now get the Keystore file from the webapp location.
N/A Banner performance has been improved.
N/A Tomcat has been upgraded to version 9.0.102.
01900363, 01893975, 01868418, 01897046, 01898009, 01889597, 01905942, 01897046 Performance improvements have been introduced.
01886300, 01835837, 01843107

Users can access Look & Feel, install new WHD servers, and change authentication methods.

*First fixed in 12.8.5 Hotfix 1

Installation instructions

Last updated: May 5, 2025

For new installations, you can download the installer from the SolarWinds website or from the Customer Portal. For more information, see the WHD Installation and Upgrade Guide.

  • WHD supports Windows Server 2019 and 2022 for production environments and Windows 11 for trial evaluations. These operating system require additional setup to install. See the WHD Installation and Upgrade Guide for instructions.

  • WHD no longer includes the additional configuration files required to enable Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) mode in the application. To install WHD and enable FIPS, see Enable FIPS in a new deployment in the WHD Administrator Guide.

For upgrades, use Upgrade WHD to plan and execute your upgrade.

  • Determine your upgrade path.

  • Download and install the upgrade package(s) from the SolarWinds Customer Portal.

  • After you have upgraded Web Help Desk, download and install any available hotfixes for this version of Web Help Desk. Hotfixes are available in the Customer Portal.

After you complete the installation, see the WHD Getting Started Guide. This guide picks up right after the installation process and walks you through the initial steps you need to take to start using the application.

Before you upgrade

When you start the server after upgrading your existing deployment to WHD 12.8.5 Hotfix 2, you are prompted to reselect your Web Help Desk database. This process enables the updated connection.

If you are updating the application from 12.8.5 and have already completed the below process, you can skip the following steps:

  1. Stop the WebHelpDesk server.
  2. Create a backup of the .whd.properties file (located in <WebHelpDesk>/conf) and remove the file from the conf folder.
  3. Start the WebHelpDesk Server.
  4. Enter the database credentials and complete the process.

After the upgrade is complete, execute the migration tool to upgrade all existing credentials to support upgraded cryptographic algorithms.

Windows:

Open the command prompt and locate the WebHelpDesk home directory, then execute the following command:

Syntax: migrate.bat <webhelpdesk home directory path> <isFipsEnabled> <FIPS Keystore Password>

  • FIPS environment

    migrate.bat "C:\Program Files\WebHelpDesk" true changeit

  • Non-FIPS environment

    migrate.bat "C:\Program Files\WebHelpDesk" false changeit

Linux:

Locate the WebHelpDesk home directory in putty/terminal and execute the following commands:

chmod +x migrate.sh
/migrate.sh /usr/local/webhelpdesk false changeit

Mac:

Open the terminal and locate the WebHelpDesk home directory, then execute the following commands:

chflags nouchg migrate.sh
chflags nouchg /Library/WebHelpDesk/conf/.whd.properties
sudo chmod 644 /Library/WebHelpDesk/conf/.whd.properties
sh migrate.sh /Library/WebHelpDesk false changeit

Additional installation steps for hotfix 2

After installing WHD 12.8.5 Hotfix 2, complete the additional installation steps below.

  1. Stop WHD.

  2. Navigate to the <WebHelpDesk>\HealthCheckUtility\perl\lib\Spreadsheet folder and copy the following file and folder:

    • ParseExcel.pm
    • ParseExcel
  3. Navigate to the <WebHelpDesk>\HealthCheckUtility\perl\vendor\lib\Spreadsheet folder and backup the existing files and folders.

  4. Copy the files listed in step 2 and paste them into <WebHelpDesk>\HealthCheckUtility\perl\vendor\lib\Spreadsheet folder.

  5. Start Web Help Desk.

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