CVE-2020-5148
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 SSO-agent default configuration uses NetAPI to probe the associated IP's in the network, this client probing method allows a potential attacker to capture the password hash of the privileged user and potentially forces the SSO Agent to authenticate allowing an attacker to bypass firewall access controls.
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 SSO-agent default configuration uses NetAPI to probe associated IP addresses on the network. This probing method exposes the password hash of privileged users, potentially forcing the SSO Agent to authenticate and allowing attackers to bypass firewall access controls.
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< 4.1.19CVSS 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
- Low
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:N
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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Identify if SonicWall Directory Services Connector is installedLocate the SonicWall Directory Services Connector software on the system or check installed programsAffected if The software is present on the system
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Determine the installed version of Directory Services ConnectorUse system inventory tools, software metadata, or the product's own about/version interface to retrieve the version numberAffected if The installed version is lower than 4.1.19
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Locate the SSO-agent configuration files or settingsAccess the SonicWall SSO-agent configuration panel or configuration directory where probing methods are definedAffected if NetAPI probing is configured as the default or active probing method
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Verify if NetAPI probing is enabled in the SSO-agent settingsInspect the SSO-agent configuration for NetAPI or similar network probing options, looking for enabled statusAffected if NetAPI probing is explicitly enabled in the configuration
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Check for presence of default or unhardened probing configurationReview whether the SSO-agent is using default settings without modifications to disable NetAPI probingAffected if The system uses default configuration with NetAPI probing still active
The environment is affected if SonicWall Directory Services Connector version is below 4.1.19 AND the SSO-agent is configured with NetAPI probing enabled (the default setting).
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 data4.1.19
Change the SSO-agent default configuration to disable NetAPI probing or use an alternative, secure probing method that does not expose credential hashes.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-5148 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
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-2020-5148 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
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