CVE-2021-20050
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 · uneditedAn Improper Access Control Vulnerability in the SMA100 series leads to multiple restricted management APIs being accessible without a user login, potentially exposing configuration meta-data.
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 vulnerability is an authentication bypass in SonicWall SMA 100 series appliances where restricted management APIs can be accessed without any user login, potentially exposing sensitive configuration metadata.
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< 10.0.0.0= 10.2.0.8-37sv= 10.2.1.2-24sv< 10.0.0.0= 10.2.0.8-37sv= 10.2.1.2-24sv< 10.0.0.0= 10.2.0.8-37sv= 10.2.1.2-24sv< 10.0.0.0= 10.2.0.8-37sv= 10.2.1.2-24sv< 10.0.0.0= 10.2.0.8-37sv= 10.2.1.2-24sv< 10.0.0.0= 10.2.0.8-37sv= 10.2.1.2-24svCVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 the SMA 100 series modelLog into the device web interface or check the physical label to determine if the device is an SMA 200, 210, 400, 410, or 500vAffected if The device is any of these models and the firmware version falls within the affected ranges
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Determine the installed firmware versionAccess the SMA web interface, navigate to the System Status or About page, and record the firmware version number displayedAffected if The firmware version is less than 10.0.0.0, or exactly 10.2.0.8-37sv, or exactly 10.2.1.2-24sv
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Verify management interface network exposureCheck the network configuration to determine if the management interface (typically ports 443 or 8443) is accessible from untrusted or external networks rather than only from a trusted administrative VLANAffected if The management interface is reachable from networks outside the trusted administrative network, increasing the risk of exploitation
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Test for unauthenticated API access (optional validation)Using a web browser or HTTP tool, attempt to access a known management API endpoint such as /api/status or /api/config without providing any authentication credentialsAffected if The API responds with configuration data or status information without requiring a login session, indicating the vulnerability may be present
If the device is an SMA 200, 210, 400, 410, or 500v running firmware version less than 10.0.0.0, exactly 10.2.0.8-37sv, or exactly 10.2.1.2-24sv and the management interface is exposed to untrusted networks, the environment is likely affected by this authentication bypass 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.
dbcve · scoped10.0.0.0
Apply the vendor-released firmware patch for SMA100 series and implement network segmentation to restrict management interface access to trusted administrative networks.
SMA100 series firmware 10.0.0.0 or later (latest stable release), ensuring NOT versions 10.2.0.8-37sv or 10.2.1.2-24sv
- 1. Identify your exact SMA100 series model (100, 200, 210, 400, 410, or 500v)
- 2. Determine your current firmware version from the device management interface or via the 'version' command in SMA CLI
- 3. Navigate to the official SonicWall support portal at my.sonicwall.com or download center
- 4. Locate the firmware download section for your specific SMA model
- 5. Download the latest available firmware version (10.0.0.0 or later, avoiding the vulnerable builds 10.2.0.8-37sv and 10.2.1.2-24sv)
- 6. Review the firmware release notes to confirm the CVE-2021-20050 fix is included
- 7. Back up your current device configuration via the management interface or 'config backup' command
- 8. Upload and apply the new firmware via the admin interface under System > Firmware > Update
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-20050 — 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-2021-20050 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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