Firepower Threat Defense
CVE-2024-20359
MEDIUM
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A03:2021 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V5 - Validation, Sanitization and Encoding Input validation, output encoding, parameterized queries
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Execution, Initial Access The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Impact | Complete system compromise — the attacker gains the ability to install malware, steal data, create backdoors, or pivot to other systems on the network. With a CVSS score of 6.0 (MEDIUM), this represents a moderate risk. This vulnerability is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, indicating active exploitation in the wild. Public exploit code is available, increasing the likelihood of exploitation. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker sends a specially crafted request to the vulnerable service that triggers code execution with the privileges of the running process. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Mar 26, 2026
A vulnerability in a legacy capability that allowed for the preloading of VPN clients and plug-ins and that has been available in Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an...
Earlier versions of this analysis (1)
RemediationAI
Apply vendor patches immediately. Restrict network access to vulnerable services. Implement network segmentation and monitoring for anomalous activity.
Affects your stack
Find out whether the stacks and servers you run are on an affected version.
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
Remote code execution allows an attacker to run arbitrary commands or code on the target system over a network without prior authentication. This vulnerability is classified as Code Injection (CWE-94).
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.
CVSS VectorNVD
Lifecycle Timeline
3DescriptionNVD
A vulnerability in a legacy capability that allowed for the preloading of VPN clients and plug-ins and that has been available in Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute arbitrary code with root-level privileges. Administrator-level privileges are required to exploit this vulnerability. This vulnerability is due to improper validation of a file when it is read from system flash memory. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by copying a crafted file to the disk0: file system of an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code on the affected device after the next reload of the device, which could alter system behavior. Because the injected code could persist across device reboots, Cisco has raised the Security Impact Rating (SIR) of this advisory from Medium to High.
Executive ViewAI
CVE-2024-20359 presents moderate security risk, a code injection vulnerability rated CVSS 6.0. Exploitation could allow attackers to execute code or inject malicious input. This vulnerability is actively exploited in the wild (KEV-listed). Organizations should apply vendor updates when available and monitor for exploitation.
Apply vendor patch. If patching is delayed: deploy WAF rules, restrict network access, enable logging.
Threat Intelligence Overview
NVD
CVE.org
CISA KEV
EPSS
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Code injection occurs when an application accepts user input and passes it directly into a language interpreter or evaluator without proper sanitization.
Remote Code Execution represents the critical moment when an attacker successfully runs arbitrary code on a target system without physical access.
Affected Products (CPE)NVD
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GitHub PoC
Exploit-DB