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Sonicwall Secure Remote Access ServerOperating system · Dell

CVE-2016-9684

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-02-22
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The SonicWall Secure Remote Access server (version 8.1.0.2-14sv) is vulnerable to a Remote Command Injection vulnerability in its web administrative interface. This vulnerability occurs in the 'viewcert' CGI (/cgi-bin/viewcert) component responsible for processing SSL certificate information. The CGI application doesn't properly escape the information it's passed in the 'CERT' variable before a call to system() is performed - allowing for remote command injection. Exploitation of this vulnerability yields shell access to the remote machine under the nobody user account.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Remote command injection in SonicWall Secure Remote Access 8.1.0.2-14sv's viewcert CGI component (/cgi-bin/viewcert). The CERT parameter is passed unsanitized to a system() call, allowing arbitrary command execution as the 'nobody' user.

MitigationApply vendor patch/upgrade to fixed version; if immediate patching unavailable, disable or restrict access to the web administrative interface and viewcert CGI.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Sonicwall Secure Remote Access ServerOperating system
Affected:= 8.1.0.2-14sv

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify if SonicWall Secure Remote Access Server is installed
    Check for the product in installed programs (Windows) or package list (Linux). On the server, look for the installation directory, typically under /opt/sonicwall or C:\Program Files\SonicWall. Check running processes for SMA-related services.
    Affected if The product is present on the system
  2. Verify the installed version matches the affected range
    Access the web administrative interface and navigate to the About or System Information page to view the firmware/software version. Alternatively, check the version file in the installation directory if accessible.
    Affected if Version is 8.1.0.2-14sv exactly
  3. Confirm the web administrative interface is accessible
    Attempt to reach the SonicWall SMA login page via HTTP/HTTPS on the configured port (typically 443). Check firewall rules and network ACLs to determine if the interface is exposed to network segments.
    Affected if The web interface responds to requests (even if authentication is required)
  4. Verify the viewcert CGI endpoint is exposed
    Send a request to /cgi-bin/viewcert on the SMA web server. For example: curl -k https://<target>/cgi-bin/viewcert or check if the URL is reachable from your network position.
    Affected if The CGI script responds (returns any HTTP response rather than 404)
  5. Determine if the CERT parameter accepts unsanitized input
    While active exploitation should be avoided, verify the parameter exists by making a request with a test value: curl -k 'https://<target>/cgi-bin/viewcert?CERT=test'. A vulnerable endpoint will process this parameter without rejecting it.
    Affected if The CERT parameter is accepted and processed by the CGI (non-404 response)

You are affected if SonicWall Secure Remote Access Server version 8.1.0.2-14sv is installed AND the web interface with the viewcert CGI is accessible from your network.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply vendor patch/upgrade to fixed version; if immediate patching unavailable, disable or restrict access to the web administrative interface and viewcert CGI.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Any later firmware version beyond 8.1.0.2-14sv that includes the CVE-2016-9684 patch (refer to SonicWall PSIRT advisory for exact fixed release)

  1. 1. Identify the current firmware version of the SonicWall Secure Remote Access Server by accessing the administrative web interface.
  2. 2. Navigate to the SonicWall support portal at support.sonicwall.com or psirt.global.sonicwall.com to locate security advisories and firmware updates.
  3. 3. Download and apply the latest firmware version for the Secure Remote Access (SRA) product line that includes the security fix for CVE-2016-9684.
  4. 4. After applying the firmware update, verify the version number reflects the patched release.
  5. 5. Test the 'viewcert' CGI functionality to ensure proper operation after the update.
  6. 6. Review the SonicWall SRA release notes or security advisory for this CVE to confirm the specific fixed version number.
Caveat Review release notes for any configuration or feature changes between versions; test in staging before production deployment

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Sonicwall Secure Remote Access Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-9684 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data