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CVE-2023-20269

CRITICALCVSS 9.1/10Actively ExploitedEPSS 21.58%

Last modified

CVE-2023-20269 is a critical-severity vulnerability rated 9.1/10 on the CVSS scale. 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. CISA has confirmed active exploitation in the wild. EPSS estimates a 21.58% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

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.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1
9.1/10

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

EPSS Probability
21.58%

97.3th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Exploitation Status

This vulnerability is listed in CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, confirming active exploitation in the wild. Federal agencies must remediate by .

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

VendorProductVersions
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.1
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.1.5
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.1.7
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.2
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.2.8
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.2.14
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.2.15
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.2.17
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.2.20
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.2.24
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.2.26
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.2.28
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.2.33
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.2.35
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.2.38
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.3
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.3.8
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.3.11
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.3.14
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.3.16
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.3.18
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.3.21
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.3.26
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.3.29
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.4
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.4.3
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.4.7
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.4.8
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.4.10
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.4.12
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.4.15
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.4.17
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.4.20
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.4.22
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.4.25
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.4.26
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.4.29
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.4.32
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.4.33
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.4.34
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.4.35
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.4.39
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.4.40
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.4.41
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.4.43
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.4.44
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.4.45
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.4.46
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.8.4.48
CiscoAdaptive Security Appliance Software9.12.1

Showing 50 of 246 affected configurations. See NVD for the full list.

References

Timeline

Published
Last Modified
Status
Analyzed

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-20269?
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.
How severe is CVE-2023-20269?
CVE-2023-20269 has a CVSS score of 9.1/10 (CRITICAL severity). The EPSS model estimates a 21.58% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. This vulnerability is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
How do I fix CVE-2023-20269?
Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2023-20269?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

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Source: NVD / NIST