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Secure Firewall Threat DefenseApplication · Cisco

CVE-2022-20713

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-08-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
A vulnerability in the VPN web client services component of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to conduct browser-based attacks against users of an affected device. This vulnerability is due to improper validation of input that is passed to the VPN web client services component before being returned to the browser that is in use. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by persuading a user to visit a website that is designed to pass malicious requests to a device that is running Cisco ASA Software or Cisco FTD Software and has web services endpoints supporting VPN features enabled. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to reflect malicious input from the affected device to the browser that is in use and conduct browser-based attacks, including cross-site scripting attacks. The attacker could not directly impact the affected device.

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

This is a reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the VPN web client services component of Cisco ASA and FTD software. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation where malicious requests sent to affected devices are reflected back to the user's browser without sanitization, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the context of the victim's session.

MitigationApply the appropriate Cisco software update for ASA or FTD that addresses this vulnerability. Until patched, users should avoid clicking untrusted links to VPN endpoints and consider disabling web VPN services 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 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
Secure Firewall Threat DefenseApplication
Affected:= 6.2.3= 6.2.3.1= 6.2.3.2= 6.2.3.3= 6.2.3.4= 6.2.3.5= 6.2.3.6= 6.2.3.7= 6.2.3.8= 6.2.3.9= 6.2.3.10= 6.2.3.11
Adaptive Security Appliance SoftwareOperating system
Affected:= 9.8.1= 9.8.1.5= 9.8.1.7= 9.8.2= 9.8.2.8= 9.8.2.14= 9.8.2.15= 9.8.2.17= 9.8.2.20= 9.8.2.24= 9.8.2.26= 9.8.2.28

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
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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 Cisco device type
    Log into the device CLI and run 'show version' or check the device model via 'show inventory'. Determine if it is an Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) or Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) device.
    Affected if Device is either Cisco ASA or FTD running the affected software
  2. Check the installed software version
    Run 'show version' in the device CLI and locate the software version string. For ASA, look for version like 9.8.x. For FTD, look for version 6.2.3.x.
    Affected if Version matches or falls within: FTD 6.2.3 through 6.2.3.11, or ASA 9.8.1 through 9.8.2.28
  3. Verify VPN web client services are enabled
    Run 'show webvpn' or 'show vpn-sessiondb webvpn' to check if WebVPN is configured and active on the device.
    Affected if WebVPN or VPN web client services are enabled and accessible
  4. Check for active VPN web portals
    From an external management station, attempt to access the VPN web portal URL (typically https://<device-ip>/+webvpn+/index.html) or run 'show webvpn session' to list active web VPN sessions.
    Affected if The web VPN portal is reachable and accepts connections

You are affected if the device is an ASA or FTD running one of the listed vulnerable versions AND the VPN web client services are enabled and accessible.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the appropriate Cisco software update for ASA or FTD that addresses this vulnerability. Until patched, users should avoid clicking untrusted links to VPN endpoints and consider disabling web VPN services if not required.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Cisco ASA 9.8.3+ or latest 9.8.x; Cisco FTD 6.2.3.4+ or latest 6.2.3.x (or later major branches)

  1. 1. Identify if the VPN web client services (WebVPN) feature is enabled on the affected Cisco ASA or FTD device.
  2. 2. Access the device management interface (ASDM, CLI, or FMC) to check the current software version.
  3. 3. For Cisco ASA: Upgrade to Cisco ASA Software version 9.8.3 or later, or the latest 9.8.x release.
  4. 4. For Cisco FTD: Upgrade to FTD version 6.2.3.4 or later, or the latest 6.2.3.x release.
  5. 5. Alternatively, consider upgrading to a later major release branch (e.g., ASA 9.14+ or FTD 6.4+) for the most comprehensive security updates.
  6. 6. After upgrade, verify that the VPN web client services are functioning correctly and the vulnerability is resolved.
  7. 7. Review the Cisco Security Advisory at sec.cloudapps.cisco.com for any additional specific patch information or configuration workarounds.
Caveat Review release notes for potential migration issues when upgrading between major version branches; some features or configurations may require adjustment

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Secure Firewall Threat Defense Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,280
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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-2022-20713 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data