SonicWall SMA100 SSLVPN Vulnerability (CVE-2025-32819) Allows Arbitrary File Deletion

A newly disclosed vulnerability in SonicWall’s Secure Mobile Access (SMA) 100 series appliances could allow authenticated SSLVPN users to delete arbitrary files, potentially forcing affected devices to reboot to factory default settings. Tracked as CVE-2025-32819 (CVSS 8.8), this high-severity flaw was publicly disclosed on May 7, 2025, by SonicWall’s Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT).

Technical Analysis of CVE-2025-32819

The vulnerability exists in the path traversal validation logic of SMA100 series appliances running SSLVPN services. According to SonicWall’s advisory, authenticated attackers can bypass security checks and manipulate file paths to delete critical system files. Successful exploitation could lead to denial of service or factory resets, particularly if configuration files are targeted. The flaw stems from improper sanitization of user-supplied paths (CWE-552) when handling file operations through the SSLVPN interface.

Affected products include SMA 200, 210, 400, 410, and 500v models. Notably, the SMA1000 series remains unaffected. SonicWall has released patched firmware versions (10.2.1.14-75sv and later) to address this and two additional vulnerabilities disclosed simultaneously: CVE-2025-32820 (path traversal) and CVE-2025-32821 (command injection).

Exploitation Context and Related Vulnerabilities

This disclosure follows a pattern of recurring SSLVPN vulnerabilities in SonicWall devices. In April 2025, CISA added two older SMA100 flaws (CVE-2023-44221 and CVE-2024-38475) to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog after confirming active exploitation. WatchTowr Labs published a proof-of-concept demonstrating how attackers chain these vulnerabilities to achieve remote code execution.

The current vulnerability differs from previous issues as it requires authenticated access, but security teams should note that SonicWall’s SSLVPN implementation has been a frequent target. Recent related vulnerabilities include:

CVE	CVSS	Type	Patch Status
CVE-2025-32819	8.8	File Deletion	Fixed in 10.2.1.14-75sv
CVE-2024-38475	9.8	RCE via mod_rewrite	Fixed in earlier versions
CVE-2024-53704	8.2	Auth Bypass	Fixed in SonicOS updates

Detection and Mitigation

Organizations using affected SMA100 devices should immediately verify their firmware versions and apply updates. Key mitigation steps include:

Upgrade to firmware version 10.2.1.14-75sv or later
Restrict SSLVPN access to necessary users only
Monitor for unexpected file modification events
Review authentication logs for suspicious SSLVPN activity

For environments where immediate patching isn’t feasible, temporary workarounds include disabling SSLVPN services if not required or implementing network-level access controls to limit VPN connectivity to trusted IP ranges.

Security Implications

While CVE-2025-32819 requires authentication, its impact potential warrants urgent attention. The ability to delete arbitrary files could be weaponized in several scenarios: wiping configuration files to disrupt operations, removing security controls to enable further exploitation, or triggering factory resets to erase forensic evidence. Security teams should prioritize patching given SonicWall’s history of SSLVPN vulnerabilities being actively exploited.

This vulnerability also highlights the importance of monitoring authenticated sessions, as legitimate credentials could be compromised through phishing or credential stuffing attacks. Multi-factor authentication should be enforced for all VPN access where possible.

Conclusion

CVE-2025-32819 represents another critical vulnerability in SonicWall’s SSLVPN implementation, continuing a trend of high-severity flaws in network perimeter devices. Organizations should treat this as a high-priority update, particularly given the device’s common deployment in security-sensitive environments. The availability of patches makes remediation straightforward, though the broader pattern of vulnerabilities suggests ongoing scrutiny of SonicWall appliances is warranted.

Security teams should reference SonicWall’s PSIRT advisory for detailed patching instructions and monitor CISA’s KEV catalog for updates regarding active exploitation. Future research may reveal additional attack vectors or chaining possibilities with this vulnerability.