SonicWall has addressed a severe security issue that affects the Secure Mobile Access (SMA) 100 series product line and allows attackers to get unauthenticated admin access on vulnerable devices remotely.
SMA 200, 210, 400, 410, and 500v appliances of the SMA 100 series are vulnerable to attacks targeting the inappropriate access control vulnerability, tagged as CVE-2021-20034.
There aren’t any interim mitigations to eliminate the attack vector, and SonicWall strongly advises vulnerable customers to install the latest security updates to fix the issue. Moreover, there is no evidence that this significant pre-auth vulnerability is presently being exploited in the wild.
Attackers who successfully exploit this flaw can remove arbitrary files from unpatched SMA 100 secure access gateways, reset the device to factory default settings, and potentially obtain administrator access.
The company revealed that the flaw stems from an incorrect file path restriction to a restricted directory, which may result in arbitrary file removal as nobody. SonicWall advised companies who use SMA 100 series devices to immediately update appliances to the newest patched firmware versions or get in touch with the maker:
“Organizations using SMA 100 series appliances should immediately log in to MySonicWall.com to upgrade their appliances to the patched firmware versions outlined below. For upgrade assistance, please reference the KB article, “How to Upgrade Firmware on SMA 100 Series Appliances” or contact SonicWall support.”
The company noted that SonicWall does not provide technical support, firmware updates/upgrades, and hardware replacements for products that have reached End-of-Support status, including Secure Remote Access devices.
It’s not the first time that SonicWall SMA 100 series products have been targeted. Only in the year 2021 have ransomware groups done it several times, with the ultimate objective of migrating laterally inside the target organization’s network.
SonicWall has disclosed that its solutions are used by more than 500,000 businesses in more than 215 countries and territories worldwide. Many of them are available on networks of the world’s foremost companies, organizations, and government institutions.
