CVE-2020-5145
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 · uneditedSonicWall Global VPN client version 4.10.4.0314 and earlier have an insecure library loading (DLL hijacking) vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to remote code execution in the target system.
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 confidenceThe SonicWall Global VPN client versions 4.10.4.0314 and earlier are vulnerable to DLL hijacking, where the application loads dynamic link libraries from insecure locations. This allows an attacker to place a malicious DLL in a location where the vulnerable client will load it, leading to arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the VPN client process.
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<= 4.10.4.0314CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify SonicWall Global VPN Client installationCheck for the presence of SonicWall Global VPN Client on the system. Look in Add/Remove Programs (Windows) or check common installation directories under Program Files for a folder named 'SonicWALL' or 'Global VPN Client'. The main executable is typically named 'SonicWALL Global VPN Client.exe'.Affected if The application is installed on the system.
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Locate the executable version informationRight-click the SonicWall Global VPN Client executable file, select Properties, and examine the Details tab for the File Version or Product Version field. Alternatively, open Command Prompt and navigate to the installation directory, then run 'dir' to list files and their version info.Affected if The executable exists and returns version information.
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Compare installed version to affected rangeTake the version number found (for example, 4.10.4.0314) and compare it numerically against 4.10.4.0314. If your version is lower, or if it shows exactly 4.10.4.0314, the version falls within the affected range.Affected if The installed version is 4.10.4.0314 or any earlier version (versions earlier than or equal to 4.10.4.0314).
If SonicWall Global VPN Client is installed and the version is 4.10.4.0314 or earlier, the system is affected by this DLL hijacking vulnerability.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataUpdate the SonicWall Global VPN client to a version newer than 4.10.4.0314, as patches for DLL hijacking vulnerabilities typically involve implementing secure DLL search paths and/or code signing verification.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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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 sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-5145 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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