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FirepowerApplication · Cisco

CVE-2019-12696

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-10-02
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Multiple vulnerabilities in the Cisco Firepower System Software Detection Engine could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass configured Malware and File Policies for RTF and RAR file types. For more information about these vulnerabilities, see the Details section of this advisory.

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

A vulnerability in Cisco Firepower System Software's Detection Engine allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to bypass configured Malware and File Policies specifically for RTF and RAR file types. This means malicious files with these extensions can evade detection and potentially be delivered to end users without being scanned or blocked.

MitigationApply the official Cisco patch for this vulnerability when available. In the interim, implement additional file type blocking at email/ web proxies, or consider network segmentation to limit exposure to these file types.

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
FirepowerApplication
Affected:= 6.2.3.1= 6.2.3.7= 6.3.0= 6.4.0

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
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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. Identify the installed Cisco Firepower version
    Access the Firepower Management Center (FMC) and navigate to System > Updates, or run 'show version' via CLI on the Firepower device. Record the Detection Engine or system software version number.
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 6.2.3.1, 6.2.3.7, 6.3.0, or 6.4.0.
  2. Confirm Malware and File Policies are active
    Log into the FMC and navigate to Policies > Malware & File. Verify whether any File Policies or Malware policies are currently deployed and active on the Firepower device.
    Affected if File Policies or Malware Policies are enabled and applied to traffic inspection.
  3. Check if RTF and RAR file types are within scope of scanning
    Within the active File Policy configuration, examine the file type list and rule settings to determine whether RTF and RAR file types are set to either 'Block' or 'Detect'. These settings are typically found under the File Policy's rule configuration for file type categories.
    Affected if RTF and/or RAR file types are included in the policy's file type rules for blocking or detection.
  4. Verify the Detection Engine is processing traffic
    In the FMC, go to Overview > Dashboards or use the 'show detection_engine' CLI command to confirm the Detection Engine is operational and actively inspecting traffic.
    Affected if The Detection Engine is running and actively inspecting traffic flows.

You are affected if your Firepower system runs version 6.2.3.1, 6.2.3.7, 6.3.0, or 6.4.0 AND has active Malware or File Policies that include RTF or RAR file types for scanning.

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

Apply the official Cisco patch for this vulnerability when available. In the interim, implement additional file type blocking at email/ web proxies, or consider network segmentation to limit exposure to these file types.

Fix this in Firepower Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2019-12696 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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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