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SonicWall · SonicWall Email Security

CVE-2021-20023

SonicWall Email Security Path Traversal Vulnerability

CISA KEV record

CISA date added
2021-11-03
CISA due date
2021-11-17
Known ransomware use
Known

NVD risk context

4.9 MEDIUM

CVSS is a technical severity score. CISA’s KEV status remains the evidence that this vulnerability is known to be exploited.

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Attack vector
Network
The vulnerable service can be reached remotely over a network.
Attack complexity
Low
Exploitation does not require unusual conditions beyond normal attacker control.
Privileges required
High
The attacker needs substantial privileges before exploiting the issue.
User interaction
None
No action by another user is required.

Description

SonicWall Email Security contains a path traversal vulnerability that allows a post-authenticated attacker to read files on the remote host. This vulnerability has known usage in a SonicWall Email Security exploit chain along with CVE-2021-20021 and CVE-2021-20022 to achieve privilege escalation.

Required action

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

NVD reference index

Vendor and remediation references

NVD has tagged these sources as vendor advisories, patches, mitigations, or release notes.

Other NVD references (1)

MITRE CWE context

CWE classification

CWE-22 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')

The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.

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NVD record timing

NVD record timeline

These dates describe NVD’s record, not CISA’s KEV addition or remediation due date.

NVD published
Apr 20, 2021, 12:15 PM UTC
When NVD first published this CVE record.
NVD last updated
Jun 17, 2026, 03:33 AM UTC
When NVD last changed its analysis or record data.
Advanced: view the technical CVSS vector

This standardized code is intended for security tools and technical analysts. The plain-language risk summary above explains its main points.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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CISA notes

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-20023