CVE-2026-20248

MEDIUMCVSS 6.8/10

Last modified

CVE-2026-20248 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 6.8/10 on the CVSS scale. A vulnerability in the DNS over TCP implementation of Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause the TCP DNS response handler to unexpectedly restart, causing the device to reload. This vulnerability is due to a logic error when parsing a DNS query and tracking the size of the incoming buffers. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by formatting a crafted reply to a DNS query sent from the targeted device.

Description

A vulnerability in the DNS over TCP implementation of Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause the TCP DNS response handler to unexpectedly restart, causing the device to reload. This vulnerability is due to a logic error when parsing a DNS query and tracking the size of the incoming buffers. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by formatting a crafted reply to a DNS query sent from the targeted device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the device to reload, causing a denial of service (DoS) condition. Note: The attacker must be able to respond to DNS queries from the device, either by controlling the DNS service or through a machine-in-the-middle attack.

Metrics

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Source: CNA advisory (CVE.org). NVD analysis pending.

VendorProductVersions
CiscoCisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software9.16.1; 9.16.1.28; 9.16.2; 9.16.2.3; 9.16.2.7; 9.16.2.11; 9.16.2.13; 9.16.2.14; 9.16.3.3; 9.16.3; 9.16.3.14; 9.18.1; 9.16.3.15; 9.18.1.3; 9.18.2; 9.16.3.19; 9.16.3.23; 9.18.2.5; 9.16.4; 9.18.2.7; 9.19.1; 9.16.4.9; 9.18.2.8; 9.16.4.14; 9.18.3; 9.19.1.5; 9.16.4.18; 9.19.1.9; 9.18.3.39; 9.16.4.19; 9.19.1.12; 9.18.3.46; 9.16.4.27; 9.19.1.18; 9.18.3.53; 9.18.3.55; 9.16.4.38; 9.16.4.39; 9.18.3.56; 9.20.1; 9.16.4.42; 9.19.1.22; 9.18.4; 9.20.1.5; 9.18.4.5; 9.19.1.24; 9.16.4.48; 9.18.4.8; 9.20.2; 9.19.1.27; 9.16.4.55; 9.18.4.22; 9.20.2.10; 9.16.4.57; 9.19.1.28; 9.18.4.24; 9.20.2.21; 9.16.4.61; 9.19.1.31; 9.18.4.29; 9.20.2.22; 9.16.4.62; 9.18.4.34; 9.20.3; 9.16.4.67; 9.16.4.70; 9.18.4.40; 9.23.1; 9.22.1.1; 9.16.4.71; 9.20.3.4; 9.18.4.47; 9.20.3.7; 9.19.1.37; 9.16.4.76; 9.20.3.9; 9.19.1.38; 9.18.4.50; 9.22.1.3; 9.20.3.10; 9.22.1.2; 9.18.4.52; 9.20.3.13; 9.22.1.6; 9.18.4.53; 9.16.4.82; 9.22.2; 9.20.3.16; 9.19.1.42; 9.18.4.57; 9.16.4.84; 9.23.1.3; 9.20.3.20; 9.22.2.4; 9.23.1.7; 9.20.4; 9.22.2.9; 9.23.1.13; 9.20.4.7; 9.22.2.13; 9.18.4.66; 9.20.4.10; 9.23.1.19; 9.16.4.85; 9.22.2.14; 9.18.4.67; 9.24.1; 9.18.4.68; 9.23.1.22; 9.20.4.14; 9.22.2.20; 9.18.4.71; 9.20.4.19; 9.23.1.26; 9.16.4.89; 9.22.2.32; 9.18.4.76; 9.22.3; 9.24.1.5; 9.20.4.22; 9.24.1.9; 9.20.4.28; 9.22.3.5; 9.16.4.92; 9.18.4.135; 9.23.1.195; 9.20.4.30; 9.24.1.155; 9.23.1.32; 9.24.1.11; 9.20.4.34; 9.18.4.82; 9.20.4.235
CiscoCisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) Software7.0.0; 7.0.0.1; 7.0.1; 7.0.1.1; 7.0.2; 7.2.0; 7.0.2.1; 7.0.3; 7.2.0.1; 7.0.4; 7.2.1; 7.0.5; 7.3.0; 7.2.2; 7.2.3; 7.3.1; 7.2.4; 7.0.6; 7.2.5; 7.2.4.1; 7.3.1.1; 7.4.0; 7.0.6.1; 7.2.5.1; 7.4.1; 7.2.6; 7.0.6.2; 7.4.1.1; 7.2.7; 7.2.5.2; 7.3.1.2; 7.2.8; 7.6.0; 7.4.2; 7.2.8.1; 7.0.6.3; 7.4.2.1; 7.2.9; 7.0.7; 7.7.0; 7.4.2.2; 7.2.10; 7.6.1; 7.4.2.3; 7.0.8; 7.6.2; 7.7.10; 7.7.11; 7.0.8.1; 7.6.2.1; 7.7.10.1; 7.4.2.4; 7.2.10.2; 7.4.3; 7.6.4; 10.0.0; 7.4.4; 7.0.9; 7.2.11; 7.4.7

References

Timeline

Published
Last Modified
Status
Awaiting Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-20248?
A vulnerability in the DNS over TCP implementation of Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause the TCP DNS response handler to unexpectedly restart, causing the device to reload. This vulnerability is due to a logic error when parsing a DNS query and tracking the size of the incoming buffers. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by formatting a crafted reply to a DNS query sent from the targeted device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the device to reload, causing a denial of service (DoS) condition. Note: The attacker must be able to respond to DNS queries from the device, either by controlling the DNS service or through a machine-in-the-middle attack.
How severe is CVE-2026-20248?
CVE-2026-20248 has a CVSS score of 6.8/10 (MEDIUM severity).
How do I fix CVE-2026-20248?
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.

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Source: NVD / NIST