CVE-2025-40598: Reflected XSS Vulnerability in SonicWall SMA100 Series
Welcome to our analysis of CVE-2025-40598, a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting the SonicWall SMA100 series. This post provides a breakdown of the vulnerability, its potential impact, and recommended steps to mitigate the risk.
🔍 TL;DR Summary
CVE-2025-40598 describes a reflected XSS vulnerability in the web interface of the SonicWall SMA100 series. An unauthenticated attacker can exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary JavaScript code in a user's browser by enticing them to click a specially crafted link. This can lead to session hijacking, defacement, or potentially more severe attacks.
🚨 Vulnerability Details
- CVE ID: CVE-2025-40598
- Description: A Reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability exists in the SMA100 series web interface, allowing a remote unauthenticated attacker to potentially execute arbitrary JavaScript code.
- CVSS Score and Vector:
- CVSS 3.1 Score: 6.1 (Medium)
- CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
- Explanation: This is a medium severity vulnerability. The attack vector is over the network (AV:N), requiring low attack complexity (AC:L). No privileges are needed (PR:N), but user interaction is required (UI:R) – the victim must click a malicious link. The scope is changed (S:C), meaning the injected script executes in the context of a different origin, and the impact to confidentiality and integrity is low (C:L/I:L), with no impact to availability (A:N).
- Exploit Requirements: The attacker needs to craft a malicious URL containing the XSS payload and trick a user into clicking it.
- Affected Vendor, Product, Version: SonicWall SMA100 Series (specific versions may vary; consult SonicWall advisory).
- CWE:
- CWE ID: CWE-79
- CWE Name: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
- Explanation: CWE-79 describes a vulnerability where user-supplied input is not properly sanitized when included in a web page. This allows an attacker to inject malicious script code that is then executed by the victim's browser.
📅 Timeline of Events
- 2025-07-23: CVE ID Assigned & Initial Disclosure
🧠 Exploitability & Real-World Risk
Reflected XSS vulnerabilities are often considered less severe than stored XSS, as they require user interaction. However, in a corporate environment like those where SMA100 appliances are typically deployed, attackers can use phishing campaigns to target employees. A successful XSS attack could allow an attacker to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious websites, or even potentially gain unauthorized access to the SMA100 appliance itself.
🛠️ Recommendations
To mitigate this vulnerability, follow these recommendations:
- Apply Patches: Check the SonicWall Security Advisories for the latest patches and firmware updates for your SMA100 series appliance. Apply them as soon as possible.
- User Awareness Training: Educate users about the dangers of clicking on suspicious links and attachments.
- Web Application Firewall (WAF): Consider implementing a WAF to filter out malicious requests and payloads targeting the SMA100 web interface.
🧪 Technical Insight
The vulnerability likely stems from a lack of proper input sanitization in one or more of the SMA100's web interface components. When a user submits data via a URL parameter or form field, this data is reflected back to the user without being properly encoded or filtered. An attacker can insert malicious JavaScript code into these parameters, which will then be executed by the user's browser when the page is rendered.
🙌 Credit to Researcher(s)
SonicWall PSIRT
🔗 References
🧵 Tags
#CVE-2025-40598 #SonicWall #SMA100 #XSS #ReflectedXSS #SecurityVulnerability #Cybersecurity
Summary: CVE-2025-40598 is a reflected XSS vulnerability in the SonicWall SMA100 series that allows an unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary JavaScript code by tricking a user into clicking a malicious link. Patching and user awareness training are key to mitigation.
CVE ID: CVE-2025-40598
Risk Analysis: Successful exploitation can lead to session hijacking, defacement, redirection to malicious sites, or potential unauthorized access to the SMA100 appliance.
Recommendation: Apply the latest patches from SonicWall. Educate users about phishing and suspicious links. Consider a web application firewall (WAF).
Timeline
- 2025-07-23: CVE ID Assigned & Initial Disclosure