CVE-2020-3187
CVE-2020-3187 is a Path Traversal vulnerability. 4 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. No vendor fix is recorded yet; mitigation options are listed below.
A vulnerability in the web services interface of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote…
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2020-3187.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
Description
A vulnerability in the web services interface of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to conduct directory traversal attacks and obtain read and delete access to sensitive files on a targeted system. The vulnerability is due to a lack of proper input validation of the HTTP URL. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request containing directory traversal character sequences. An exploit could allow the attacker to view or delete arbitrary files on the targeted system. When the device is reloaded after exploitation of this vulnerability, any files that were deleted are restored. The attacker can only view and delete files within the web services file system. This file system is enabled when the affected device is configured with either WebVPN or AnyConnect features. This vulnerability can not be used to obtain access to ASA or FTD system files or underlying operating system (OS) files. Reloading the affected device will restore all files within the web services file system.
Affected Products
adaptive security appliance softwareciscoasa 5505 firmwareciscoasa 5510 firmwareciscoasa 5512-x firmwareciscoasa 5515-x firmwareciscoasa 5520 firmwareciscoResearch use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance Software 9.7 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Deletion
by 0xmmnbassel · Jul 29, 2020
Detection & mitigation playbook
VulnerabilityDetect
Identify every host running the affected component and compare the installed build against the fixed version below — for source-built or distro-packaged software the version string, not a lockfile, is the source of truth (`dpkg -l`, `rpm -q`, or the binary's own `--version`).
Remediation status
No fixed release is recorded for CVE-2020-3187 yet. Track the upstream advisory, and apply the exposure-reduction steps below in the meantime.
Mitigate without a patch
Resolve every user-supplied path to its canonical form and reject anything that escapes the intended directory, and run the component under an account that has no read or write access outside the directory it legitimately serves.
How to detect CVE-2020-3187
A community-maintained Nuclei template exists for this CVE. You can scan for it directly:
nuclei -id cve-2020-3187 -u https://target- Template
- Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance Software/Cisco Firepower Threat Defense - Directory Traversal
- Severity
- critical
- Impact
- An attacker can exploit this vulnerability to read arbitrary files on the affected system, potentially leading to unauthorized access or sensitive information disclosure.
- Remediation
- Apply the necessary security patches or updates provided by Cisco to mitigate the vulnerability.
Template by ProjectDiscovery nuclei-templates (KareemSe1im), MIT licensed. View the full template. Scan only systems you are authorised to test.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2020-3187 in your dependencies?
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