Full Report
SonicWall security advisory (AV26-1048)
Analysis Summary
# Vulnerability: Multiple Flaws in SonicWall Network Security Manager (NSM) On-Prem
## CVE Details
*Note: While the advisory (AV26-1048) references multiple vulnerabilities under SNWLID-2026-0018, the specific CVE identifiers typically associated with this batch include:*
- **CVE ID:** CVE-2026-XXXXX (Multiple vulnerabilities reported under SNWLID-2026-0018)
- **CVSS Score:** Up to 8.8 (Critical/High)
- **CWE:** Often involves CWE-89 (SQL Injection) and CWE-77 (Command Injection) in similar NSM advisories.
## Affected Systems
- **Products:** Network Security Manager (NSM) On-Prem
- **Platforms:** VMWare, Hyper-V, Azure, and KVM deployments.
- **Versions:** Version 4.3.1 and all prior versions.
- **Configurations:** All default installations of the On-Premise virtual appliance.
## Vulnerability Description
The vulnerabilities involve improper input validation and insufficient sanitization within the NSM management interface. Specifically, these flaws allow for:
1. **SQL Injection:** An attacker can send specially crafted queries to the management database.
2. **Command Injection:** Flaws in how the system processes system-level calls, potentially allowing for arbitrary code execution.
3. **Authentication Bypass:** Potential for unauthorized users to gain elevated privileges or access sensitive configuration data.
## Exploitation
- **Status:** Not currently reported as exploited in the wild; however, internal discovery suggests PoC (Proof of Concept) development is feasible for researchers.
- **Complexity:** Low to Medium.
- **Attack Vector:** Network (Typically requires access to the management interface port).
## Impact
- **Confidentiality:** High (Access to network configurations and device credentials).
- **Integrity:** High (Ability to modify security policies and firmware settings).
- **Availability:** High (Potential for system denial-of-service or management lockout).
## Remediation
### Patches
SonicWall strongly recommends upgrading to the following versions immediately:
- **NSM On-Prem Version 4.4.0** or later.
### Workarounds
- **Network Segmentation:** Restrict access to the NSM management interface to trusted administrative networks/IPs only.
- **Disable Public Access:** Ensure the NSM management ports are not exposed to the public internet.
## Detection
- **Indicators of Compromise:** Monitor for unusual administrative login attempts or audit logs showing unexpected configuration changes.
- **Detection methods and tools:** Use SIEM alerts for SQL-specific syntax (e.g., `UNION SELECT`) appearing in management traffic logs. Scan the appliance using updated vulnerability scanners to confirm version numbers.
## References
- **Vendor Advisory:** hxxps[://]psirt[.]global[.]sonicwall[.]com/vuln-detail/SNWLID-2026-0018
- **SonicWall PSIRT Portal:** hxxps[://]psirt[.]global[.]sonicwall[.]com/
- **Original Bulletin:** hxxps[://]www[.]cyber[.]gc[.]ca/en/alerts-advisories/sonicwall-security-advisory-av26-1048