Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security (ASA) Appliance and Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) Missing Authorization Vulnerability
CiscoSecure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance and Secure Firewall Threat Defense
- Exploited in the wild
- In CISA KEV since 25 Sep 2025
- Vendor fix available
- Associated threat actor: Storm-1849
Passed 393 days ago
CISA KEV · added 25 Sep 2025
Higher than 100% of scored CVEs
Description NVD
Update: On November 5, 2025, Cisco became aware of a new attack variant against devices running Cisco Secure ASA Software or Cisco Secure FTD Software releases that are affected by CVE-2025-20333 and CVE-2025-20362. This attack can cause unpatched devices to unexpectedly reload, leading to denial of service (DoS) conditions. Cisco strongly recommends that all customers upgrade to the fixed software releases that are listed in the Fixed Software ["#fs"] section of this advisory. A vulnerability in the VPN web server of Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to access restricted URL endpoints that are related to remote access VPN that should otherwise be inaccessible without authentication. This vulnerability is due to improper validation of user-supplied input in HTTP(S) requests. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted HTTP requests to a targeted web server on a device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to access a restricted URL without authentication.
CISA required action
The KEV due date refers to the deadline by which FCEB agencies are expected to review and begin implementing the guidance outlined in Emergency Directive (ED) 25-03 (URL listed below in Notes). Agencies must follow the mitigation steps provided by CISA (URL listed below in Notes) and vendor’s instructions (URL listed below in Notes). Adhere to the applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are not available.
Coverage 3 articles · 3 outlets
See the full timelineShow as table
| Published (UTC) | Outlet | Headline |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 24 Apr · 11:30 UTC | SecurityWeek | US Agency Hit by Firestarter Backdoor on Cisco Firepower Gear |
| Fri 24 Apr · 18:06 UTC | The Hacker News | Cisco ASA Backdoor FIRESTARTER Persists After Patches, NCSC Warns |
| Sat 25 Apr · 01:26 UTC | Security Affairs | FIRESTARTER backdoor persists on patched Cisco ASA devices |
- FIRESTARTER backdoor persists on patched Cisco ASA devicesSecurity Affairs · mentions it in passing
- Cisco ASA Backdoor FIRESTARTER Persists After Patches, NCSC WarnsThe Hacker News · mentions it in passing
- US Agency Hit by Firestarter Backdoor on Cisco Firepower GearSecurityWeek · first in our coverage · mentions it in passing