What is the CVSS score of CVE-2024-20481?

CVE-2024-20481 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.8 (Medium). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:L. EPSS exploitation probability: 16.0%.

Is CVE-2024-20481 being actively exploited?

Yes, CVE-2024-20481 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming active in-the-wild exploitation. Immediate patching is required.

Adaptive Security Appliance Software CVE-2024-20481

MEDIUM

Missing Release of Resource after Effective Lifetime (CWE-772)

2024-10-23 psirt@cisco.com

Denial Of Service Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance Software Firepower Threat Defense Software

5.8

CVSS 3.1 · NVD

Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY

5.8 MEDIUM

AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:L

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

None

Scope

Changed

Confidentiality

None

Integrity

None

Availability

Low

Lifecycle Timeline

Added to CISA KEV

Jul 14, 2026 - 04:22 CISA

CVE Published

Oct 23, 2024 - 18:15 nvd

MEDIUM 5.8

DescriptionNVD

A vulnerability in the Remote Access VPN (RAVPN) service of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) of the RAVPN service. This vulnerability is due to resource exhaustion. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a large number of VPN authentication requests to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to exhaust resources, resulting in a DoS of the RAVPN service on the affected device. Depending on the impact of the attack, a reload of the device may be required to restore the RAVPN service. Services that are not related to VPN are not affected. Cisco Talos discussed these attacks in the blog post Large-scale brute-force activity targeting VPNs, SSH services with commonly used login credentials.

AnalysisAI

A vulnerability in the Remote Access VPN (RAVPN) service of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.

Technical ContextAI

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-772. A vulnerability in the Remote Access VPN (RAVPN) service of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) of the RAVPN service. This vulnerability is due to resource exhaustion. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a large number of VPN authentication requests to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to exhaust resources, resulting in a DoS of the RAVPN service on the affected device. Depending on the impact of the attack, a reload of the device may be required to restore the RAVPN service. Services that are not related to VPN are not affected. Cisco Talos discussed these attacks in the blog post Large-scale brute-force activity targeting VPNs, SSH services with commonly used login credentials. Affected products include: Cisco Firepower Threat Defense Software, Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance Software.

RemediationAI

No vendor patch is available at time of analysis. Monitor vendor advisories for updates. Apply vendor patches when available. Implement network segmentation and monitoring as interim mitigations.