CVE-2023-44220
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 NetExtender Windows (32-bit and 64-bit) client 10.2.336 and earlier versions have a DLL Search Order Hijacking vulnerability in the start-up DLL component. 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 confidenceA DLL Search Order Hijacking vulnerability exists in the startup DLL component of SonicWall NetExtender Windows client versions 10.2.336 and earlier. A local attacker with write access to directories in the DLL search path can place a malicious DLL that gets loaded before the legitimate DLL, resulting in arbitrary command execution when the NetExtender client starts.
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<= 10.2.336CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify NetExtender installed versionOpen Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, locate 'SonicWall NetExtender' and note the version number, or right-click the NeExtender.exe file (typically in C:\Program Files\SonicWall\NetExtender) and select Properties > Details to view the File VersionAffected if The installed version is 10.2.336 or earlier
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Verify NetExtender installation directory permissionsRight-click the NetExtender installation folder (typically C:\Program Files\SonicWall\NetExtender), select Properties > Security, and verify that standard users or unprivileged accounts do not have Write or Modify permissions to this directoryAffected if Standard users or untrusted accounts have Write access to the NetExtender installation directory
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Inspect NetExtender directory for unexpected DLLsOpen the NetExtender installation folder and review all .dll files present. Check file creation/modification dates and verify each DLL is a legitimate SonicWall component. Look for DLLs with recent timestamps or names that do not match known NetExtender DLLsAffected if There are DLL files in the NetExtender directory that are not part of the original installation or have recently been added
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Check user-writable directories in DLL search pathIdentify directories in the Windows DLL search order (current directory, System32, Windows, PATH environment variable directories). For each directory accessible to unprivileged users, verify no suspicious DLLs with common names (such as libraries that NetExtender might load) have been placed thereAffected if Unprivileged users can write to directories in the DLL search path and malicious DLLs are present in those locations
You are affected if NetExtender version is 10.2.336 or earlier AND unprivileged users have write access to the NetExtender installation directory or other DLL search path directories where a malicious DLL could be planted.
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 · scopedUpdate to a patched version of NetExtender (10.2.337 or later) when released. In the interim, restrict write access to the NetExtender installation directory and ensure standard user directories are not writable by unprivileged users to prevent DLL planting attacks.
Latest NetExtender version available from SonicWall (fixed release post-10.2.336)
- 1. Identify all systems with SonicWall NetExtender Windows client installed (32-bit or 64-bit).
- 2. Check the installed version on each system to confirm if it is 10.2.336 or earlier.
- 3. Navigate to the official SonicWall support portal or PSIRT at psirt.global.sonicwall.com to obtain the fixed release.
- 4. Download the latest version of NetExtender that addresses CVE-2023-44220.
- 5. Test the new version in a non-production environment to verify compatibility with existing VPN infrastructure.
- 6. Deploy the updated NetExtender client to all affected systems, preferably using an enterprise deployment tool.
- 7. Verify the update was successful by checking the version number on target systems.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-44220 — 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-2023-44220 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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