CVE-2023-1101
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 · uneditedSonicOS SSLVPN improper restriction of excessive MFA attempts vulnerability allows an authenticated attacker to use excessive MFA codes.
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 confidenceThis is an authentication bypass vulnerability in SonicWall SonicOS SSLVPN where the MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) implementation lacks proper rate limiting or account lockout controls. An authenticated attacker can submit unlimited MFA codes, potentially enabling brute-force attacks against valid user accounts.
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< 7.0.1-5111<= 7.0.1-5083<= 6.5.4.4-44v-21-1551<= 6.5.4.11-97nCVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the installed SonicOS firmware versionAccess the SonicWall appliance management interface or use the command line interface (CLI) command 'show version' or 'sysctl e' to retrieve the current firmware version number.Affected if The version number falls below 7.0.1-5111, or is between 7.0.1-5084 and 7.0.1-5110 (for 7.0.x branch), or below or equal to 6.5.4.4-44v-21-1551, or below or equal to 6.5.4.11-97n (for 6.5.x branch). Compare your installed version against these affected ranges.
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Verify SSLVPN is enabled on the applianceLog into the SonicWall management UI, navigate to the SSLVPN settings page (typically under VPN > SSLVPN), or use the CLI command 'show sslvpn' to confirm SSLVPN is active.Affected if SSLVPN is currently enabled and the firmware version is within the affected ranges listed above.
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Confirm Multi-Factor Authentication is configured for SSLVPN usersIn the SonicWall UI, go to Users > Local Users or Users > Settings > Multi-Factor Authentication to verify if MFA is enabled for SSLVPN access. Alternatively, check the SSLVPN connection profile settings.Affected if MFA is enforced or available for SSLVPN connections, the firmware is vulnerable, and the SSLVPN service is active.
You are affected if your SonicWall device runs a vulnerable SonicOS version (within the ranges specified), has SSLVPN enabled, and uses MFA for SSLVPN authentication.
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 data7.0.1-5111
Apply the vendor patch or firmware update for CVE-2023-1101. If no patch is available, implement compensating controls such as network-based rate limiting, IP reputation filtering, or additional authentication layers.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-1101 — 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-2023-1101 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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