CVE-2023-20269 Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance and Firepower Threat Defense: login or permission bypass
In plain words: A door that should be locked is not: part of the system can be reached without a valid login or permission. The attacker gets in as a user or administrator without knowing a password.
Confirmed exploited by CISA on · US federal patch deadline Oct 4, 2023
What to do
- Install Cisco's security update for Adaptive Security Appliance and Firepower Threat Defense. If no update exists, follow the vendor's workaround or stop using the product until one ships.
- Patch edge devices first — attackers often start scanning for them within hours of a fix.
- Never expose the device's admin page to the internet.
- After patching a device that was exposed, follow the vendor's compromise checks, end active sessions and change passwords.
Who is affected
Work IT. Aimed mostly at company systems — you are affected through the companies you use, not your own phone.
What's at risk: They face the internet and guard the whole network, so a flaw here can hand attackers a way in — and these devices usually run no antivirus, so break-ins go unnoticed.
The details
- Official name
- Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance and Firepower Threat Defense Unauthorized Access Vulnerability
- Product
- Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance and Firepower Threat Defense
- CISA description
- Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance and Firepower Threat Defense contain an unauthorized access vulnerability that could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to conduct a brute force attack in an attempt to identify valid username and password combinations or establish a clientless SSL VPN session with an unauthorized user.
- Type of flaw
- Login or permission bypass (CWE-288)
- Confirmed exploited
- Sep 13, 2023 — known to be used in ransomware attacks
- US federal patch deadline
- Oct 4, 2023
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Answering about CVE-2023-20269 ·
Questions about CVE-2023-20269
Is CVE-2023-20269 being exploited?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2023-20269 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on Sep 13, 2023, which means there is reliable evidence of real-world attacks, including by ransomware groups.
How do I fix CVE-2023-20269?
Install Cisco's security update for Adaptive Security Appliance and Firepower Threat Defense. If no update exists, follow the vendor's workaround or stop using the product until one ships. Patch edge devices first — attackers often start scanning for them within hours of a fix.
Am I affected by CVE-2023-20269?
Only if you use Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance and Firepower Threat Defense. Aimed mostly at company systems — you are affected through the companies you use, not your own phone.