CVE-2023-20269
mediumCVSS v3 Base Score
5.0
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:N
EPSS Score
21.6%
Exploitation probability in 30 days
Top 3% most likely to be exploited
Attack Characteristics
Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
None
Published: September 6, 2023 (1096 days ago)
Last Modified: August 11, 2026
Vendor: Cisco
Source: NVD
⚠️ CISA Known Exploited Vulnerability
Added to KEV: 2023-09-13
Remediation Due: 2023-10-04 (⚠ 1068d overdue)
Ransomware Campaign: Known
Vulnerability Report
Generated by CyberWatcher
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.
CWE
CWE-288Affected Products
cisco adaptive security appliance softwarecisco secure firewall threat defense