Adaptive Security ApplianceOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2011-0396

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v2.0 Published 2011-02-25

Mitigation only

No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.

See remediation →

87/100

Remediation priority · High

Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA) 5500 series devices with software 8.0 before 8.0(5.23), 8.1 before 8.1(2.49), 8.2 before 8.2(4.1), and 8.3 before 8.3(2.13), when a Certificate Authority (CA) is configured, allow remote attackers to read arbitrary files via unspecified vectors, aka Bug ID CSCtk12352.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Cisco ASA 5500 series devices running software versions 8.0 before 8.0(5.23), 8.1 before 8.1(2.49), 8.2 before 8.2(4.1), or 8.3 before 8.3(2.13) contain a path traversal vulnerability when a Certificate Authority (CA) is configured. This allows remote unauthenticated attackers to read arbitrary files on the device via unspecified vectors, potentially exposing sensitive configuration data, credentials, or certificates.

MitigationUpgrade Cisco ASA software to version 8.0(5.23), 8.1(2.49), 8.2(4.1), 8.3(2.13) or later. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict management access to the ASA via ACLs and consider disabling CA features if not required.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

Adaptive Security ApplianceOperating system

Affected:= 8.0$2$= 8.0$3$= 8.0$4$= 8.0$5$= 8.1$1$= 8.1$2$= 8.2= 8.2$1$= 8.2$2$= 8.3

Adaptive Security Appliance SoftwareOperating system

Affected:= 8.0= 8.3$1$

Asa 5500Hardware / appliance

Affected:all versions

Asa 5505Hardware / appliance

Affected:all versions

Asa 5510Hardware / appliance

Affected:all versions

Asa 5520Hardware / appliance

Affected:all versions

Asa 5540Hardware / appliance

Affected:all versions

Asa 5550Hardware / appliance

Affected:all versions

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: Low
Authentication: None
Confidentiality: Complete
Integrity: None
Availability: None

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:N/A:N

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

Determine ASA software version

Connect to the ASA CLI and run the command: `show version` Look for the version number in the output (for example: 8.0(4), 8.2(1), 8.3, etc.)

Affected if The version shown is 8.0(x) before 8.0(5.23), 8.1(x) before 8.1(2.49), 8.2(x) before 8.2(4.1), or 8.3(x) before 8.3(2.13)
Verify if CA is configured

Run the command: `show run | include crypto ca` or `show run crypto ca` to check for any Certificate Authority configuration entries

Affected if Any CA (crypto ca) configuration exists on the device
Check for specific CA-related commands

Run: `show run crypto ca trustpoint` and `show run crypto ca certificate` to see if trustpoints or certificates are configured

Affected if Any trustpoint or certificate configuration is present
Confirm management access exposure

Run: `show run | include management-access` or `show run interface` to see how the device is accessible and from which networks

Affected if The ASA management interface is accessible from untrusted networks (such as the internet or DMZ)

You are affected if your ASA runs a version in the 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, or 8.3 branches that is older than the patched versions AND you have CA (Certificate Authority) functionality configured on the device.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Remediation

From vendor data

Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime

Mitigation

Upgrade Cisco ASA software to version 8.0(5.23), 8.1(2.49), 8.2(4.1), 8.3(2.13) or later. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict management access to the ASA via ACLs and consider disabling CA features if not required.

Fix this in Adaptive Security Appliance Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation3.0 h
Implementation4.0 h
Testing5.0 h
Review / QA2.0 h

14.0 hours of engineering $2,430

Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,888.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

dbcve dependency scanner

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References

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2011-0396 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2011-0396?

The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.

The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
A config change or rule that shut the vector down
A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here

Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data

At a glance

A fix existsA vendor remedy is published

Severity 7.8 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 1.4%

Affects: Adaptive Security Appliance

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Adaptive Security Appliance 14 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $2,430

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2011-0396 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

Check your environment

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References