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Global Vpn ClientApplication · Sonicwall

CVE-2021-20047

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-12-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 4.10.6 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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
SonicWall Global VPN client version 4.10.6 (32-bit and 64-bit) and earlier have a DLL Search Order Hijacking vulnerability. Successful exploitation via a local attacker could result in 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 · moderate confidence

The SonicWall Global VPN client versions 4.10.6 and earlier contain a DLL Search Order Hijacking vulnerability. An attacker with local access can place a malicious DLL in a directory searched by the application before the legitimate system DLL location, causing arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the VPN client.

MitigationUpdate SonicWall Global VPN client to a patched version. Additionally, ensure the application directory is not writable by low-privilege users and use absolute paths for DLL loading to prevent hijacking.

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
Global Vpn ClientApplication
Affected:<= 4.10.6

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 installed SonicWall Global VPN Client version
    Open Programs and Features (Windows) or use command line: 'wmic product get name,version' or check the application's About/Help section for the version number
    Affected if The installed version is 4.10.6 or earlier
  2. Locate the SonicWall Global VPN Client installation directory
    Common default paths include C:\Program Files\SonicWall\Global VPN Client or C:\Program Files (x86)\SonicWall\Global VPN Client; right-click the application shortcut and select 'Open file location'
    Affected if The application is installed in a directory writable by standard users (non-admin)
  3. Check directory permissions on the application folder
    Right-click the installation folder in Windows Explorer, select Properties, then Security tab; verify that non-admin users do not have Write or Modify permissions
    Affected if Standard users have Write or Modify permissions to the application directory, allowing DLL placement
  4. Examine the application directory for unexpected DLL files
    Open the installation folder and review all .dll files present; compare against expected DLLs from a clean installation or official documentation
    Affected if Unexpected or suspicious DLL files exist in the application directory that are not part of the official installation

You are affected if the installed SonicWall Global VPN Client version is 4.10.6 or earlier AND the application directory is writable by standard (non-privileged) users.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 4.10.6
Interim mitigation

Update SonicWall Global VPN client to a patched version. Additionally, ensure the application directory is not writable by low-privilege users and use absolute paths for DLL loading to prevent hijacking.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

SonicWall Global VPN Client version 4.10.7 or later (latest available version)

  1. 1. Verify the currently installed SonicWall Global VPN Client version by opening the application and checking 'Help' > 'About' or checking Add/Remove Programs.
  2. 2. Navigate to the official SonicWall support portal at www.sonicwall.com/support or the psirt.global.sonicwall.com reference provided.
  3. 3. Download the latest version of the SonicWall Global VPN Client (ensure you get version 4.10.7 or later).
  4. 4. Uninstall the current VPN client through Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features.
  5. 5. Restart the system to ensure all VPN-related processes are terminated.
  6. 6. Install the newly downloaded version of the Global VPN Client.
  7. 7. Restart the system after installation completes.
  8. 8. Verify the installed version matches the patched release by checking 'Help' > 'About' in the application.
Caveat Review release notes for any changes to VPN tunnel configurations or compatibility requirements with your VPN gateway

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

Fix this in Global Vpn Client Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
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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-2021-20047 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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