CVE-2024-53704: SonicWall SonicOS Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2024-53704 Overview

An Improper Authentication vulnerability in the SSLVPN authentication mechanism allows a remote attacker to bypass authentication.

Critical Impact
This vulnerability permits unauthorized access, potentially compromising network security and allowing attackers to exfiltrate data.

Affected Products

Sonicwall NSA 2700
Sonicwall NSA 3700
Sonicwall NSA 4700

Discovery Timeline

Not Available - Vulnerability discovered by Not Available
Not Available - Responsible disclosure to Sonicwall
Not Available - CVE CVE-2024-53704 assigned
Not Available - Sonicwall releases security patch
2025-01-09 - CVE CVE-2024-53704 published to NVD
2025-10-31 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-53704

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the SSLVPN component's authentication mechanism where inadequate validation allows bypassing normal security controls. This facilitates unauthorized access to network resources.

Root Cause

The root cause lies in the insufficient verification of authentication tokens during the login process, enabling malicious payloads to be executed by unauthenticated users.

Attack Vector

The network attack vector allows external attackers to exploit this vulnerability remotely without user interaction.

python

# Example exploitation code (sanitized)
import requests

url = "https://target-ssl-vpn.com/auth"
headers = {'User-Agent': 'Mozilla/5.0'}
data = {'username': 'bypass', 'password': 'any'}

response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, data=data)
print(response.status_code)

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-53704

Indicators of Compromise

Unusual login attempts from external IPs
Sudden increase in network traffic
Access attempts to sensitive data or systems

Detection Strategies

Deploy network intrusion detection systems to monitor for abnormal patterns indicative of VPN bypass attempts. Use behavioral analysis to detect unauthorized access.

Monitoring Recommendations

Regularly audit logs for unauthorized access attempts and use real-time alerting systems to notify of suspicious activities, leveraging SentinelOne's advanced monitoring capabilities.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-53704

Immediate Actions Required

Update all affected Sonicwall products to the latest firmware immediately.
Apply network segmentation to limit access to critical infrastructure.
Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for VPN access.

Patch Information

Patches for resolving CVE-2024-53704 are available via Sonicwall's advisory Vendor Advisory.

Workarounds

Ensure only trusted IP ranges have VPN access and disable SSLVPN services if not required.

bash

# Configuration example
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -s trusted.ip.range -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP