Severity
High
Analysis Summary
SonicWall has disclosed a critical stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in its SonicOS SSLVPN service, tracked as CVE-2025-40601, with a CVSS score of (High). This flaw allows remote, unauthenticated attackers to crash affected firewalls, causing a denial-of-service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability was identified internally by SonicWall’s security team and affects multiple generations of SonicWall firewall products, both hardware and virtual, though no active exploitation or public proof-of-concept has been reported.
The vulnerability exists specifically in the SSLVPN service component and stems from a stack-based buffer overflow (CWE-121). Exploitation involves sending specially crafted requests to the SSLVPN interface, which can crash the firewall and disrupt services. Devices that do not have the SSLVPN service enabled remain unaffected, limiting the scope of risk to organizations actively using this feature.
Affected platforms include Gen7 hardware and virtual firewalls (e.g., TZ270–TZ670, NSa 2700–6700, NSv270–NSv870) and Gen8 firewalls (e.g., TZ80–TZ680, NSa 2800–5800). Vulnerable firmware versions include 7.3.0-7012 and older for Gen7 devices and 8.0.2-8011 and earlier for Gen8 devices. Devices outside these versions, as well as Gen6 firewalls and SMA 1000/100 series SSLVPN products, are not impacted.
SonicWall strongly recommends that organizations update to patched firmware versions immediately—7.3.1-7013 or higher for Gen7, and 8.0.3-8011 or higher for Gen8 devices. Until updates can be applied, administrators should restrict SSLVPN access to trusted source IPs or disable the service for untrusted internet traffic by modifying access rules. Timely patching and access control measures are crucial to prevent potential disruption caused by this vulnerability.
Impact
- Buffer Overflow
- Gain Access
Indicators of Compromise
CVE
CVE-2025-40601
Affected Vendors
Remediation
- Immediately upgrade affected SonicWall firewalls to the fixed versions: Gen7: 7.3.1-7013 or higher, Gen8: 8.0.3-8011 or higher
- Limit SSLVPN access to trusted source IP addresses only
- If SSLVPN is not required, disable the service to eliminate exposure
- Ensure firewall access rules block SSLVPN traffic from untrusted networks
- Actively monitor SSLVPN and firewall logs for abnormal or repeated connection attempts
- Isolate SSLVPN-facing devices to minimize impact in case of exploitation
- Maintain current firewall configurations and backups before applying patches
- Inform users about potential service interruptions due to the vulnerability or patching
- Implement a process for regularly checking and applying critical security updates
- Have an incident response plan ready in case of DoS attacks or exploitation attempts

