CVE-2020-3452
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance Software and Firepower Threat Defense Software Web Services Read-Only Path Traversal Vulnerability
- 7.5HighCVSS base score
- 100.0%Exploitation in 30 daysEPSS · top 0.1% of all CVEs
- YesKnown exploitedin CISA's KEV since 3 Nov 2021
- 4Public exploitsMetasploit, Nuclei and Exploit-DB
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 read sensitive files on a targeted system. The vulnerability is due to a lack of proper input validation of URLs in HTTP requests processed by an affected device. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request containing directory traversal character sequences to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to view arbitrary files within the web services file system on the targeted device. The web services file system is enabled when the affected device is configured with either WebVPN or AnyConnect features. This vulnerability cannot be used to obtain access to ASA or FTD system files or underlying operating system (OS) files.
Exploited in the wild
CISA lists this vulnerability in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog as Cisco ASA and FTD Read-Only Path Traversal Vulnerability.
- Added
- 3 Nov 2021
- Fix due (US federal)
- 3 May 2022
- Used by ransomware
- Not known
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
ENISA's EU Vulnerability Database lists it as exploited, from CISA's KEV, since 3 Nov 2021.
Public exploit
An exploit or proof of concept is public: anyone can try it against an unpatched system. The public collections list a Nuclei template and 3 Exploit-DB entries for it. CISA's SSVC rates its exploitation: it is being exploited.
Show the exploits4
Nuclei templates1 template
- Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA)/Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) - Local File Inclusion (Nuclei template) (opens in a new tab)
http/cves/2020/CVE-2020-3452.yamlSeverity high
Exploit-DB3 entries
- Cisco ASA 9.14.1.10 and FTD 6.6.0.1 - Path Traversal (2) (Exploit-DB entry) (opens in a new tab)
EDB-ID 49262webapps, hardwarepublished 15 Dec 2020Not verified
- Cisco ASA and FTD 9.6.4.42 - Path Traversal (Exploit-DB entry) (opens in a new tab)
EDB-ID 48871webapps, hardwarepublished 12 Oct 2020Not verified
- Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance Software 9.11 - Local File Inclusion (Exploit-DB entry) (opens in a new tab)
EDB-ID 48722webapps, hardwarepublished 28 Jul 2020Not verified
Modules, templates and exploits as listed by the Metasploit Framework (BSD-3-Clause), ProjectDiscovery's Nuclei templates (MIT) and the Exploit Database (GPLv2), read once a day. Where the data comes from
Timeline
ID reserved
By cisco
- 7 months later
· 7 months later
Published
- 16 months later
· 16 months later
Added to CISA KEV
Known exploited in the wild
- 4 years later
· 4 years later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| ciscoCNA (assigner) | 3.1 | High7.5 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N |
| NVDNVD · Analyzed | 3.1 | High7.5 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 100.0% · top 0.1% of all CVEs (11 Nov 2026)
- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation: active · Automatable: yes · Technical impact: partial
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: High 7.5.
Affected products
Cisco · Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
- affected unspecified – < 9.6.4.42
- affected unspecified – < 9.8.4.20
- affected unspecified – < 9.9.2.74
- affected unspecified – < 9.10.1.42
- affected unspecified – < 9.13.1.10
- affected unspecified – < 9.14.1.10
What to do
Exploitation: The Cisco Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) is not aware of any public announcements or malicious use of the vulnerability that is described in this advisory.
References
References6
- 20200722 Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance Software and Firepower Threat Defense Software Web Services Read-Only Path Traversal Vulnerability (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_CISCOx_transferred
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/158646/Cisco-ASA-FTD-Remote-File-Disclosure.html (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/158647/Cisco-Adaptive-Security-Appliance-Software-9.11-Local-File-Inclusion.html (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/159523/Cisco-ASA-FTD-9.6.4.42-Path-Traversal.html (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/160497/Cisco-ASA-9.14.1.10-FTD-6.6.0.1-Path-Traversal.html (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-3452 (opens in a new tab)government-resource
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- CISA KEV catalog (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- EUVD EUVD-2020-24723 (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://cveledger.app/cve/CVE-2020-3452)Record last updated .