Sophos Cyberoam OS WebAdmin Remote SQL Injection Vulnerability (CVE-2020-29574) Security Advisory
Executive & SecOps Summary
SECOPS ASSESSMENTAll Cyberoam Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) appliances running Cyberoam OS released prior to 2020-12-04 with WebAdmin enabled
Unauthenticated remote attackers can execute arbitrary SQL statements, bypass authentication, compromise the database, and gain full administrative control over the firewall appliance
Apply the latest official Cyberoam OS security patches immediately and restrict external WAN access to the WebAdmin interface
Affected Products & Version Scope
Remediation & Live Workaround Commands
PATCH & WORKAROUND1. Official Patch & Version Upgrade Commands
Administrators must upgrade to the latest patched version of Cyberoam OS. Access the device CLI and execute the following commands to verify and update the firmware:
# Verify the current Cyberoam OS version
console> show version
# Initiate firmware update via CLI
console> cybcon firmware update2. Temporary Workaround & Hardening Configuration
If patching cannot be applied immediately, disable WebAdmin access from the WAN zone. Restrict administrative access exclusively to trusted internal networks (LAN) or secure VPN tunnels.
# Disable HTTPS WebAdmin access from the WAN zone
console> cyberoam system appliance_access show
console> cyberoam system appliance_access close service HTTPS zone WAN3. Log Audit & IoC Verification Commands
Inspect the WebAdmin access logs for common SQL injection patterns (e.g., UNION, SELECT, or unexpected SQL syntax) and review authentication logs for anomalies.
# Search WebAdmin access logs for potential SQL injection payloads
grep -Ei 'union|select|insert|update|delete|drop|--|or%20' /var/tslog/apache_access.log
# Audit successful login events to detect potential authentication bypasses
grep -i 'login' /var/tslog/csc.log | grep -i 'success'Stop Exposing VPN Ports to the Internet — Switch to Zero-Trust Access
Eliminate public-facing VPN concentrators and firewall management ports with identity-first Zero-Trust Network Access.
Technical Root Cause & Exploitation Mechanics
1. Vulnerability Overview & Root Cause
This vulnerability (CVE-2020-29574) is a critical SQL injection flaw located within the WebAdmin portal of Sophos Cyberoam OS. The root cause lies in the failure of the WebAdmin login and input validation mechanisms to properly sanitize user-supplied input or utilize parameterized queries. This allows unauthenticated remote attackers to inject malicious SQL commands directly into the backend database query stream.
2. Exploitation Mechanics & Attack Scenario
An unauthenticated attacker sends a crafted HTTP request containing malicious SQL payloads to the WebAdmin interface (typically targeting login or authentication parameters). Because the input is concatenated directly into SQL queries without validation, the database executes the injected commands. Attackers can exploit this to extract sensitive administrator credentials, manipulate session tables to bypass authentication, and establish unauthorized administrative sessions.
3. Infrastructure & Business Impact
As firewalls serve as the primary perimeter defense for enterprise networks, a compromise of Cyberoam OS is highly critical. This vulnerability is actively exploited in the wild and is listed in the CISA KEV catalog. Successful exploitation grants full control of the network gateway, enabling attackers to perform lateral movement, intercept internal network traffic, compromise VPN connections, and disrupt business operations entirely.
Official Vendor Advisories & References
An SQL injection vulnerability in the WebAdmin of Cyberoam OS through 2020-12-04 allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary SQL statements remotely.
Frequently Asked SecOps Questions (CVE-2020-29574)
FAQQ1. How critical is CVE-2020-29574 and is it actively exploited in the wild?
CVE-2020-29574 is rated CVSS 9.8 (CRITICAL) with a 30-day EPSS exploitation probability of 4.7%. It is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, requiring immediate emergency remediation.
Q2. Which vendors and products are affected by CVE-2020-29574?
Primary impacted vendors include sophos, cyberoam across cyberoam_os. Scope summary: All Cyberoam OS versions released through 2020-12-04
Q3. What temporary mitigations or workarounds exist for CVE-2020-29574 before patching?
[Mitigation] Apply the latest official Cyberoam OS security patches immediately and restrict external WAN access to the WebAdmin interface Follow the CLI remediation commands and interactive SecOps checklist on this page to restrict exposure prior to your maintenance window.
Generate an Internal Engineering Notice or CISO Report for CVE-2020-29574
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