CVE-2023-20269

MEDIUM severity · CVSS 5 · CWE-288 · actively exploited (CISA KEV)

5CVSS MEDIUM ● exploited ⚠ ransomware

🔴 Actively exploited in the wild (CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities). ⚠ Known use in ransomware campaigns. Added to KEV 2023-09-13. US federal agencies must patch by 2023-10-04.

Summary

A vulnerability in the remote access VPN feature of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to conduct a brute force attack in an attempt to identify valid username and password combinations or an authenticated, remote attacker to establish a clientless SSL VPN session with an unauthorized user. This vulnerability is due to improper separation of authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) between the remote access VPN feature and the HTTPS management and site-to-site VPN features. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by specifying a default connection profile/tunnel group while conducting a brute force attack or while establishing a clientless SSL VPN session using valid credentials. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to achieve one or both of the following: Identify valid credentials that could then be used to establish an unauthorized remote access VPN session. Establish a clientless SSL VPN session (only when running Cisco ASA Software Release 9.16 or earlier). Notes: Establishing a client-based remote access VPN tunnel is not possible as these default connection profiles/tunnel groups do not and cannot have an IP address pool configured. This vulnerability does not allow an attacker to bypass authentication. To successfully establish a remote access VPN session, valid credentials are required, including a valid second factor if multi-factor authentication (MFA) is configured. Cisco will release software updates that address this vulnerability. There are workarounds that address this vulnerability.

Impact & exploitability

Attack vectorNetwork

Attack complexityLow

Privileges requiredLow

User interactionNone

Confidentiality impactNone

Integrity impactLow

Availability impactNone

Exploit probability (EPSS)1%

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

Affected products we track (1)

Cisco ASA

Recommendation

This vulnerability is being actively exploited in the wild — patch affected products urgently. Open any affected product above for its exact safe version.

CVE-2023-20269

Summary

Impact & exploitability

Affected products we track (1)

Recommendation

Additional information