dbcve.org
Adaptive Security Appliance SoftwareOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2014-3398

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2014-10-05
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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.

NVD · unedited
The SSL VPN implementation in Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software allows remote attackers to obtain potentially sensitive software-version information by reading the verbose response data that is provided for a request to an unspecified URL, aka Bug ID CSCuq65542.

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.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

The SSL VPN in Cisco ASA Software reveals software version information in verbose HTTP responses for certain requests. An unauthenticated remote attacker can send requests to unspecified URLs and parse the detailed response headers or body to extract version details, which aids in reconnaissance and targeting further attacks.

MitigationDisable verbose server banner responses on the ASA SSL VPN or upgrade to a Cisco patched version that suppresses version disclosure. Restrict VPN access to authorized users via AAA and network-level controls.

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

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.

NVD · CPE data
Adaptive Security Appliance SoftwareOperating system
Affected:all versions

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.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
None
Availability
None

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

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.

dbcve checks

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

  1. Confirm Cisco ASA SSL VPN is accessible
    Identify if your organization runs a Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance with SSL VPN enabled. Check network accessible VPN portal URLs (typically port 443) or consult asset inventory for ASA devices.
    Affected if ASA SSL VPN is exposed on the network and responds to HTTP/HTTPS requests
  2. Send HTTP request to SSL VPN portal
    Make an HTTP or HTTPS request to the SSL VPN endpoint using a tool like curl or a browser. Send requests to common VPN paths such as /, /+CSCOE+/, or /admin/ and capture the response headers and body.
    Affected if Any HTTP response is received from the ASA SSL VPN endpoint
  3. Inspect HTTP response headers for version disclosure
    Examine the Server header and any other headers in the HTTP response. Look for version numbers, build numbers, or detailed software identification strings that reveal the ASA software version.
    Affected if The Server header or other headers contain version numbers, build information, or detailed product identification strings (for example, strings like 'ASA' with version numbers or detailed server type information)
  4. Inspect HTTP response body for version disclosure
    Examine the HTML body of the HTTP response. Look for version strings, copyright notices, build dates, or detailed software identification in visible content or in HTML comments/source.
    Affected if The HTML body, comments, or hidden fields contain version information, build numbers, or detailed software identification

If the Cisco ASA SSL VPN returns version or detailed software identification information in either the HTTP response headers or body, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.

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

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Disable verbose server banner responses on the ASA SSL VPN or upgrade to a Cisco patched version that suppresses version disclosure. Restrict VPN access to authorized users via AAA and network-level controls.

Fix this in Adaptive Security Appliance Software Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,150
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Scan for this in your stack

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

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2014-3398 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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
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