# CVE-2018-9866: Command injection in Global Management System (GMS)

> Remote attackers can execute arbitrary code on SonicWall Global Management System appliances due to insufficient validation of XML-RPC parameters.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 3 Aug 2018
- **Updated:** 5 May 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-29h3-7qgp-vff3

## What is CVE-2018-9866?

CVE-2018-9866 is a critical command injection vulnerability in SonicWall Global Management System (GMS), published on 3 Aug 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability in lack of validation of user-supplied parameters pass to XML-RPC calls on SonicWall Global Management System (GMS) virtual appliance's, allow remote user to execute arbitrary code. This vulnerability affected GMS version 8.1 and earlier.

Weakness: CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation), CWE-77 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-9866?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Sonicwall Global Management System.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-9866?

No fix has been published for CVE-2018-9866 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2018-9866 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2018-9866 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in SonicWall Global Management System (GMS)

- [CVE-2021-20020](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-20020/): Privilege escalation in Global Management System (GMS) (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2019-7478](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-7478/): SQL injection in GMS (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2019-7476](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-7476/): Hardcoded credentials in Global Management System (GMS) (high 8.1)
- [CVE-2021-20030](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-20030/): Path traversal in SonicWall GMS (high 7.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-9866 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-9866 is a critical command injection vulnerability in SonicWall Global Management System (GMS), published on 3 Aug 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2018-9866 exists.

Affected product: SonicWall Global Management System (GMS). No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-9866/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-9866/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-9866
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-9866
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-9866

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-9866/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.