CVE-2020-29574: Sophos Cyberoam OS SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2020-29574 Overview

CVE-2020-29574 is a SQL injection vulnerability in the WebAdmin interface of Sophos Cyberoam OS through 2020-12-04. The flaw allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL statements against the underlying database. Successful exploitation can expose administrative credentials, configuration data, and session tokens on perimeter firewall appliances. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-89 and is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can run arbitrary SQL queries against the Cyberoam OS WebAdmin database over the network, enabling credential theft and full appliance compromise.

Affected Products

• Sophos Cyberoam OS versions through 2020-12-04
• Cyberoam Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) appliances running affected Cyberoam OS
• WebAdmin management interface exposed on Cyberoam OS

Discovery Timeline

• 2020-12-11 - CVE-2020-29574 published to NVD
• 2025-11-07 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2020-29574

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the WebAdmin component of Cyberoam OS, the management interface used to configure Cyberoam firewall appliances. User-supplied input reaches an SQL query without proper parameterization or sanitization. Because the affected endpoint does not require authentication, any attacker who can reach the WebAdmin service over the network can inject SQL syntax.

The issue is classified as CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command. The flaw is remotely exploitable with low complexity and no user interaction. It is listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, confirming exploitation in the wild.

Root Cause

The root cause is unsanitized concatenation of attacker-controlled input into SQL statements executed by the WebAdmin backend. The handler accepts request parameters and passes them directly into query strings, allowing characters such as single quotes, semicolons, and SQL keywords to alter query structure. Missing prepared statements and missing authentication on the affected endpoint together yield an unauthenticated SQL injection primitive.

Attack Vector

An attacker sends a crafted HTTP request to the Cyberoam OS WebAdmin interface, typically exposed on a management TCP port. The request includes malicious SQL fragments in a vulnerable parameter. The backend executes the modified query and returns results or side effects to the attacker. Internet-exposed WebAdmin interfaces are the highest-risk deployments. See the Bleeping Computer write-up for additional context.

No verified public proof-of-concept code is referenced in this advisory data, so the exploitation mechanism is described in prose only.

Detection Methods for CVE-2020-29574

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP or HTTPS requests to the Cyberoam OS WebAdmin interface containing SQL meta-characters such as ', --, UNION SELECT, OR 1=1, or URL-encoded equivalents.
• Unusual WebAdmin access from external IP addresses, especially from hosting providers, anonymizers, or known scanning infrastructure.
• Unexpected administrator account creation, password changes, or configuration exports on the firewall appliance.
• Outbound connections from the appliance to attacker-controlled hosts immediately following WebAdmin traffic spikes.

Detection Strategies

• Inspect WebAdmin access logs for parameters containing SQL syntax, long query strings, or repeated 500-class responses indicating injection probing.
• Deploy network IDS/IPS signatures for SQL injection patterns targeting Cyberoam WebAdmin URIs.
• Correlate authentication failures and admin session creation events against the source IPs sending malformed WebAdmin requests.
• Baseline normal WebAdmin traffic volumes and alert on sudden increases from untrusted networks.

Monitoring Recommendations

• Forward WebAdmin and firewall syslog data to a central SIEM or data lake for retention and correlation across the appliance fleet.
• Continuously monitor administrator account inventories and configuration diffs for unauthorized changes.
• Alert on any WebAdmin exposure to the public internet identified by external attack surface scans.

How to Mitigate CVE-2020-29574

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to the Cyberoam OS WebAdmin interface to trusted management networks only, blocking all internet exposure.
• Apply the Sophos-supplied Cyberoam OS update that remediates this SQL injection issue on every affected appliance.
• Rotate administrator credentials, API keys, and shared secrets stored on the appliance after patching.
• Review configuration, firewall rules, and audit logs for unauthorized changes that may indicate prior exploitation.

Patch Information

Sophos released a fix for Cyberoam OS that addresses the SQL injection in WebAdmin. Administrators should consult Sophos support channels for the appropriate Cyberoam OS update and apply it to all managed appliances. Refer to the Bleeping Computer coverage of the Sophos fix and the Cyberoam product page for additional vendor information. CISA requires federal agencies to remediate this issue under the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Workarounds

• Place the WebAdmin interface behind a VPN or jump host so it is unreachable from untrusted networks.
• Apply ACLs on the appliance to limit WebAdmin TCP ports to specific administrator source IP ranges.
• Enable web application firewall rules in front of the management interface to drop requests containing SQL injection signatures until patching is complete.

# Example: restrict Cyberoam WebAdmin access to a trusted admin subnet
# Replace interface, port, and CIDR with values appropriate for your environment
#
# 1. Block WebAdmin from any external source
# 2. Permit only the management subnet
#
# (Apply equivalent rules via the Cyberoam WebAdmin Local Service ACL settings)

admin_subnet="10.10.20.0/24"
webadmin_port="4444"

iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport ${webadmin_port} -s ${admin_subnet} -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport ${webadmin_port} -j DROP