Horizon Alert
Summary of the vulnerability and why it matters
Certain Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) and Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) software components are vulnerable due to incomplete error checking. This weakness allows an attacker to send a crafted HTTP request, potentially causing the device to reload unexpectedly. The primary impact is a denial of service, disrupting network operations.
- Vulnerable web servers
- Unhandled HTTP header error
- Service disruption
Attack Path
How an attacker could exploit the issue
This vulnerability affects Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance and Firepower Threat Defense software. An attacker can exploit this by sending a specially crafted HTTP request to the affected device's web server. This request exploits a lack of error checking in how HTTP headers are processed, leading to the device reloading and causing a denial of service.
- Network-exposed management or VPN web servers.
- Attacker sends crafted HTTP request.
- Device reloads, causing denial of service.
Live Threat
Current exploitation, exposure, and threat context
This vulnerability presents a significant risk to organizations using vulnerable Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software. An unauthenticated, remote attacker can exploit this by sending a specially crafted HTTP request, potentially causing a denial of service by forcing the device to reload. This could disrupt network access and critical business operations.
- Attackers require no special skill level.
- Attackers need network access to the device.
- Business risk is high due to potential service disruption.
Priority actions
Operational Fix
Recommended remediation, mitigation, and detection steps
A vulnerability has been identified in Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software. This issue could permit an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a device to reload unexpectedly, resulting in a denial of service. The vulnerability stems from incomplete error checking during the parsing of an HTTP header. This could impact the availability of network services protected by these Cisco devices.
- Identify exposed Cisco ASA and FTD assets.
- Reduce exposure by isolating risk.
- Apply vendor fixes and validate.
- Monitor for related activity.
