CVE-2021-20016 is a SQL injection vulnerability affecting SonicWall Secure Mobile Access (SMA) 100 Series SSL VPN appliances running vulnerable 10.x firmware builds. Improper neutralization of SQL input allows a remote, unauthenticated attacker to submit a specially crafted query and retrieve usernames, passwords, and session-related information. The vulnerability was exploited as a zero-day in January 2021 and patched in February 2021.
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What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.
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1 valid exploit after Mallory filtered fakes, detection scripts, and README-only repos.
Repository purpose: a Python-based SonicWall “Security Audit Toolkit” plus a Docker CTF-style lab that simulates and (in solutions) exploits two critical SonicWall CVEs. Top-level structure: - sonicwall_audit.py: main orchestrator CLI that runs modules (ssl, cve, auth, web) against a target https://<host>:<port>, writes JSON/text reports to reports/. - validate_cves.py: standalone deep validators for CVE-2021-20038 and CVE-2024-53704 using non-destructive behavioral checks. - modules/: implementation of auditors/validators and report generation. - lab/: docker-compose lab with two containers: - cve-2021-20038: Apache + deliberately vulnerable 32-bit CGI binary /usr/lib/cgi-bin/sslvpnclient (and symlinks portal/welcome/etc). Protections disabled (no canary, execstack, no PIE, ASLR disabled in entrypoint) to make stack overflow exploitation feasible. - cve-2024-53704: Flask/Gunicorn SSLVPN simulator on 4433 with vulnerable swap cookie deserialization (conditional HMAC verification). - lab/exploits/: skeleton exploit templates (incomplete). - lab/solutions/: working exploits. Exploit capabilities present: 1) CVE-2024-53704 (auth bypass via cookie forgery): Working exploit forges a base64-encoded JSON session cookie named swap with {username, authenticated:true} and omits sig_version so the server skips HMAC verification. It then accesses /virtual-office/ and /dashboard to retrieve the flag. 2) CVE-2021-20038 (stack buffer overflow -> RCE): Working exploit crafts a URL-encoded query string payload to overflow a 4096-byte stack buffer in the CGI handler (strcpy of QUERY_STRING). Payload includes a NOP sled, null-free 32-bit x86 Linux shellcode that runs /bin//sh -c "cat /root/flag.txt", padding to offset 4100, and an attacker-chosen return address into the sled. Output is returned in the HTTP response body. Important distinction: the main toolkit modules and CVE validators are primarily scanners/validators and explicitly avoid destructive exploitation; the actual exploitation code is confined to the lab solution scripts intended for the local practice environment.
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Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.
25 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.
Unauthenticated SQL injection vulnerability in SonicWall SMA100 SSLVPN that can expose credentials and session data.
A historical SonicWall SSLVPN SMA100 SQL injection vulnerability mentioned as background on prior exploitation of SonicWall devices.
Pre-auth SQL injection vulnerability in the SonicWall SMA100 product line mentioned as historical context for recurring perimeter flaws.
A SQL injection vulnerability in SonicWall SSLVPN SMA100.
Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.
Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.
Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.
YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.
Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.
Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.