HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2021-20038
HIGHCISA KEVIN THE WILD

CVE-2021-20038

Published: January 28, 2022

EPSS:94.29%probability of exploitation in 30 daysPercentile:99.9th

Official Description

SonicWall SMA 100 devies are vulnerable to an unauthenticated stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability where exploitation can result in code execution.

NVD Source

CISA KEV Advisory

SonicWall SMA 100 Appliances Stack-Based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

SonicWall SMA 100 devies are vulnerable to an unauthenticated stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability where exploitation can result in code execution.

Added to KEV: 2022-01-28Federal patch deadline: 2022-02-11⚠ USED IN RANSOMWARE CAMPAIGNS
Required Action (CISA)

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Risk Analysis

SonicWall SMA 100 devices are vulnerable to an unauthenticated stack-based buffer overflow, which can lead to code execution. The high EPSS score of 0.94292 indicates a very high likelihood of exploitation, requiring immediate attention.

This vulnerability has been observed under active exploitation in the wild and is part of CISA's KEV catalog. It is remotely exploitable without authentication.

Recommended Action

Apply the latest firmware updates and patches for SonicWall SMA 100 devices. Ensure proper input validation is in place to prevent buffer overflows.

Generated by the CTIWATCH analysis pipeline from this CVE's metadata (CVSS, EPSS, KEV status, exploit intelligence). Verify against vendor advisories before acting.

Technical Analysis

CVE-2021-20038 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation requires some privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

CISA has added CVE-2021-20038 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming active exploitation in the wild. U.S. federal agencies are required to patch this within the mandated timeframe, and all organizations should treat remediation as urgent.

Exploit & PoC Resources

ACTIVE EXPLOITATIONConfirmed exploitation in the wild
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

All References (1)

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2021-20038
SeverityHIGH
CISA KEVYES — Active Exploitation
ExploitIN THE WILD
EPSS (30d)94.29%
PublishedJan 28, 2022

Recommended Actions

  • Apply vendor patches immediately
  • Monitor CVE-2021-20038 in threat intel feeds
  • Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
  • !CISA KEV: Federal agencies must patch per BOD 22-01 timeline
  • !Active exploitation confirmed — treat as P1
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.