An improper access control vulnerability identified in the SonicWall SonicOS management access and SSLVPN, potentially leading to unauthorized resource access, and in specific conditions cause the firewall to crash.

This vulnerability affects SonicWall Gen 5 and Gen 6 devices as well as Gen 7 devices running SonicOS 7.0.1-5035 and older versions

Details of infected versions can view viewed here

How attackers could exploit this vulnerability.

1. Unauthorized Access via improper Access Controls – The vulnerability enables attackers -without authentications – to circumvent access controls and gain unauthorized access.
2. Ransomware Deployment (Notably Akira)– Once inside via compromised SSL VPN access, attackers – particularly the affiliates of the Akira ransomware – use this entry point to launch ransomware or enable data exfiltration

1. Upgrade and apply latest patch of the affected versions. See here for details versions can view viewed here for CVE-2024-40766 Security Advisory.
2. Password update for Local Users – SonicWall strongly recommends that all users of Gen5 and Gen6 firewalls with locally managed SSLVPN accounts immediately update their password to enhance security and prevent unauthorized access

Read more on Gen7 and newer SonicWall Firewalls = SSLVPN threat activity.