CVE-2025-40602
CVE-2025-40602 is a security flaw in SonicWall SMA1000 appliance, SonicWall’s firewall and remote-access equipment. Someone who already has a foothold can use SonicWall SMA1000 appliance to take full control of the machine. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 17 Dec 2025.[1]
SonicWall SMA1000 appliance is business software or equipment. Most families won’t have it, but attackers break into it to get inside companies, and from there to what those companies hold about their customers, patients and staff. SonicWall has published a fix or advice.
Description
CISA calls it a sMA1000 missing authorization in SonicWall SMA1000 appliance. In its words: “SonicWall SMA1000 contains a missing authorization vulnerability that could allow for privilege escalation appliance management console (AMC) of affected devices.”[1]
The underlying weakness is missing authorization (CWE-862), CWE-250, in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.[2]
It scores 6.6 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it medium, scored by the organisation that published the CVE using CVSS 3.1.[2]
Affected versions
NVD’s record doesn’t list version ranges for it; SonicWall’s advisory has them[3]. CISA names the product as SonicWall SMA1000 appliance.
Most families won’t have SonicWall SMA1000 appliance; it’s for whoever looks after IT at work.
Exploitation
CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 17 Dec 2025. CISA lists a flaw only when it has reliable evidence of it being exploited, and gave US federal agencies until 24 Dec 2025 to fix it.[1]
FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System, which estimates how likely a flaw is to be used in attacks in the next 30 days from what it sees across the internet, puts it at 3%. That’s in the top 14% of the flaws it scores.[4]
CISA assesses it as not automatable: each attack takes some work.
CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.
Fix
SonicWall has published a fix or advice.[3] CISA’s required action: “Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable”[1]
- Check whether you use it.SonicWall SMA1000 appliance is business software or equipment, so most families won’t have it. If you run a business, or work from home on company equipment, ask whoever looks after your IT.
- Send this page to your IT person.Ask them to confirm it’s fixed, or not in use. CISA gave US government agencies until 24 Dec 2025 to fix it.
- If it can’t be fixed, take it offline.CISA’s advice when there’s no fix is to stop using the product, or take it off the internet, until there is one.
You can’t fix someone else’s server, but you can watch for what follows a break-in like this: a breach notice, a password reset you didn’t ask for, or a scam message that knows things it shouldn’t. HARD watches for those for you and your family.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| CISA adds it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks.[1] | |
| The flaw is made public in the National Vulnerability Database, with a severity score of 6.6.[2] | |
| CISA’s deadline for US government agencies to fix it.[1] | |
| FIRST puts the odds of it being used in attacks in the next 30 days at 3%.[4] |
See also
Other SonicWall flaws
- CVE-2026-83549, SonicWall SMA1000 Appliances: OS command injection ·
- CVE-2026-83548, SonicWall SMA1000 Appliances: server-side request forgery ·
- CVE-2026-15410, SonicWall SMA1000 Appliances: code injection ·
- CVE-2026-15409, SonicWall SMA1000 Appliances: server-side request forgery ·
- CVE-2023-44221, SonicWall SMA100 Appliances: OS command injection ·
Other missing authorization flaws
- CVE-2024-57726, SimpleHelp: missing authorization ·
- CVE-2023-52163, Digiever DS-2105 Pro: missing authorization ·
- CVE-2025-6205, Dassault Systèmes DELMIA Apriso: missing authorization ·
- CVE-2025-20362, Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance and Secure Firewall Threat Defense: secure firewall adaptive security (ASA) appliance and secure firewall threat defense (FTD) missing authorization ·
- CVE-2021-3493, Linux Kernel: privilege escalation ·
Added the same day
- CVE-2025-59374, ASUS Live Update: embedded malicious code ·
- CVE-2025-20393, Cisco products: improper input validation ·
Every SonicWall flaw on CISA’s list · Everything added in December 2025
References
- ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “SonicWall SMA1000 Missing Authorization Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 17 Dec 2025.
- ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2025-40602 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 18 Dec 2025.
- ^ SonicWall. Advisories and fixes: psirt.global.sonicwall.com.
- ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.028, percentile 86.2, 31 Oct 2026.
- CVE Program. “CVE-2025-40602”. The official CVE record.
This article is built from CISA’s catalog (version 2026.10.30), NVD’s record and FIRST’s scores, kept in HARD’s database and checked every morning. The plain English is HARD’s.