CVE DatabaseCVE-2024-53704

Updated 2026-08-04한국어 권고문 →

CVE-2024-537049.8/CRITICALCISA KEVCWE-287

SonicWall SSLVPN Authentication Bypass and Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (CVE-2024-53704) Urgent Security Advisory

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Affected Vendors

sonicwall

Affected Components

sslvpn, sma

Published Date

2025-01-09

CVSS v3.1

9.8

CRITICAL

EPSS (30d)

95.3%

FIRST.org

CISA KEV

Exploited

NVD Source ↗

Executive & SecOps Summary

SECOPS ASSESSMENT

Affected Scope

SonicWall SMA (Secure Mobile Access) appliances and firmware utilizing the SSLVPN authentication mechanism

Impact

Remote unauthenticated attackers can completely bypass authentication, gain administrative access, and compromise the internal network

Mitigation

Immediately apply the official firmware patches provided by SonicWall and restrict external access to the SSLVPN interface

Affected Products & Version Scope

SonicWall SMA series appliances utilizing SSLVPN authentication (Refer to SonicWall PSIRT Advisory SNWLID-2025-0003 for specific version details)

Remediation & Live Workaround Commands

PATCH & WORKAROUND

1. Official Patch & Version Upgrade Commands

Log in to the SonicWall Support Portal, download the appropriate patched firmware image for your appliance model, and perform the upgrade. Below is an example of applying firmware updates via CLI:

bash

# Access SonicWall CLI and initiate firmware upgrade (commands may vary by model)
firmware-upgrade ftp://anonymous:guest@local-updates.local/sw_sma_patch.bin
show system status
reboot

2. Temporary Workaround & Hardening Configuration

If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict access to the SSLVPN service port (e.g., TCP 4433) using firewall Access Control Lists (ACLs). If using an Nginx reverse proxy, implement IP-based access control as shown below:

nginx

# Restricting access to the SSLVPN proxy path
server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name sslvpn.company.com;

    location / {
        allow 192.168.10.0/24; # Trusted Admin/Office IP Range
        allow 203.0.113.50;    # Trusted External Static IP
        deny all;              # Block all other external traffic
        
        proxy_pass https://internal_sslvpn_backend;
    }
}

3. Log Audit & IoC Verification Commands

Monitor SSLVPN access logs for anomalous authentication bypass attempts and unauthorized session creations. Use the following Bash script to scan log files for suspicious patterns:

bash

# Scan SSLVPN logs for potential authentication bypass indicators
echo '[*] Scanning SSLVPN logs for suspicious activities...'
grep -Ei 'auth_bypass|auth_failed|session_created_without_auth' /var/log/sslvpn_auth.log

# Identify top IP addresses generating high volume of session requests
awk '{print $3}' /var/log/sslvpn_access.log | sort | uniq -c | sort -nr | head -n 20

Interactive SecOps Remediation Checklist

0/4 (0%)

Recommended Security Control & Mitigation Partner

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As this vulnerability is listed in the CISA KEV catalog and actively exploited, immediate patching or strict access control is highly recommended.

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Technical Root Cause & Exploitation Mechanics

1. Vulnerability Overview & Root Cause

This vulnerability (CVE-2024-53704) is an Improper Authentication vulnerability (CWE-287) residing within the SonicWall SSLVPN authentication mechanism. Due to a logical flaw in the credential validation process, remote unauthenticated attackers can bypass the authentication phase entirely without providing valid credentials.

2. Exploitation Mechanics & Attack Scenario

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending a specially crafted HTTP/HTTPS request to the SSLVPN authentication endpoint. The system fails to properly validate the request structure, leading to the unauthorized generation of a valid session token. This attack requires no user interaction (UI:N) and no prior privileges (PR:N), making it highly susceptible to automated exploitation.

3. Infrastructure & Business Impact

With a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical) and its inclusion in the CISA KEV catalog, this vulnerability is actively being exploited in the wild. Successful exploitation allows threat actors to breach the perimeter defense, establish a foothold within the corporate network, deploy ransomware, and perform lateral movement, posing an extreme risk to business operations.

Official Vendor Advisories & References

NVD Original English Description

An Improper Authentication vulnerability in the SSLVPN authentication mechanism allows a remote attacker to bypass authentication.

https://psirt.global.sonicwall.com/vuln-detail/SNWLID-2025-0003

Source: PSIRT@sonicwall.com · Vendor Advisory

https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2024-53704

Source: 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 · US Government Resource

Frequently Asked SecOps Questions (CVE-2024-53704)

FAQ

Q1. How critical is CVE-2024-53704 and is it actively exploited in the wild?

CVE-2024-53704 is rated CVSS 9.8 (CRITICAL) with a 30-day EPSS exploitation probability of 95.3%. It is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, requiring immediate emergency remediation.

Q2. Which vendors and products are affected by CVE-2024-53704?

Primary impacted vendors include sonicwall across sslvpn, sma. Scope summary: SonicWall SMA series appliances utilizing SSLVPN authentication (Refer to SonicWall PSIRT Advisory SNWLID-2025-0003 for specific version details)

Q3. What temporary mitigations or workarounds exist for CVE-2024-53704 before patching?

[Mitigation] Immediately apply the official firmware patches provided by SonicWall and restrict external access to the SSLVPN interface Follow the CLI remediation commands and interactive SecOps checklist on this page to restrict exposure prior to your maintenance window.

SECOPS WORKBENCH INTEGRATION