CVE-2024-20481
Published: October 24, 2024
Official Description
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) and Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) contain a missing release of resource after effective lifetime vulnerability that could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial-of-service (DoS) of the RAVPN service.
CISA KEV Advisory
Cisco ASA and FTD Denial-of-Service Vulnerability
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) and Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) contain a missing release of resource after effective lifetime vulnerability that could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial-of-service (DoS) of the RAVPN service.
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Risk Analysis
This vulnerability in Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) and Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial-of-service (DoS) of the RAVPN service. This high-severity flaw can disrupt remote access VPN functionality. The high severity and confirmed exploitation in the wild make this an urgent concern.
This vulnerability has been actively exploited in the wild and is listed in CISA's KEV catalog, indicating a high likelihood of successful attacks. This confirms that threat actors are leveraging this flaw.
Apply the latest security updates for Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) and Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) to address this denial-of-service vulnerability. Monitor RAVPN service health.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2024-20481 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.
Exploitation requires some privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.
CISA has added CVE-2024-20481 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming active exploitation in the wild. U.S. federal agencies are required to patch this within the mandated timeframe, and all organizations should treat remediation as urgent.
Affected Vendors & Products
Exploit & PoC Resources
All References (2)
Quick Facts
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2024-20481 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
- !CISA KEV: Federal agencies must patch per BOD 22-01 timeline
- !Active exploitation confirmed — treat as P1