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Global Vpn ClientApplication · Sonicwall

CVE-2021-20051

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-05-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 4.10.7.1117 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 4.10.7.1117 installer (32-bit and 64-bit) and earlier versions have a DLL Search Order Hijacking vulnerability in one of the installer components. Successful exploitation via a local attacker could result in command 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 confidence

The SonicWall Global VPN Client installer versions 4.10.7.1117 and earlier contain a DLL Search Order Hijacking vulnerability in one of the installer components. A local attacker with file system access can place a malicious DLL in a location where the installer searches for DLLs, resulting in arbitrary command execution with elevated privileges during the installation process.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patch or updated installer version when available. Until then, ensure VPN client installations are performed from trusted media in secure environments and restrict file system access to prevent attackers from placing malicious DLLs in installation paths.

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:<= 4.10.7.1117

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. Find installed SonicWall Global VPN Client version
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features, or right-click the Start button and select 'Apps & Features'. Look for 'SonicWall Global VPN Client' in the list and note the version number displayed.
    Affected if The displayed version is 4.10.7.1117 or any earlier version.
  2. Check application executable version
    Navigate to the installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\SonicWall\Global VPN Client or C:\Program Files (x86)\SonicWall\Global VPN Client). Right-click on 'GVCClient.exe' or the main executable, select Properties, and check the 'File version' or 'Product version' on the Details tab.
    Affected if The file version shown is 4.10.7.1117 or earlier.
  3. Identify installer version used
    Check your download history or software distribution folder for the SonicWall VPN installer file. Right-click the installer executable (.exe), select Properties, and check the 'File version' on the Details tab.
    Affected if The installer version is 4.10.7.1117 or earlier.
  4. Audit installation directory permissions
    Right-click the SonicWall installation folder in Program Files, select Properties > Security tab. Review which users and groups have 'Write' or 'Modify' permissions on this folder.
    Affected if Non-administrative users or groups have Write or Modify access to the installation directory, allowing them to place malicious DLLs.

You are affected if the installed SonicWall Global VPN Client or its installer version is 4.10.7.1117 or earlier, especially if untrusted users have write access to the installation folder.

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 4.10.7.1117
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patch or updated installer version when available. Until then, ensure VPN client installations are performed from trusted media in secure environments and restrict file system access to prevent attackers from placing malicious DLLs in installation paths.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

SonicWall Global VPN Client version > 4.10.7.1117 (latest available version from SonicWall)

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed SonicWall Global VPN Client version on affected systems
  2. 2. Download the latest version of SonicWall Global VPN Client from the official SonicWall support website (www.sonicwall.com/support)
  3. 3. Uninstall the current vulnerable version of the Global VPN Client
  4. 4. Install the latest version of the Global VPN Client
  5. 5. Verify the installed version is greater than 4.10.7.1117
Caveat Review SonicWall release notes for any changes to functionality or compatibility requirements before upgrading

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

Fix this in Global Vpn Client Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,330
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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-2021-20051 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