Secure Firewall Threat DefenseApplication · Cisco
CVE-2022-20715
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 · uneditedA vulnerability in the remote access SSL VPN features of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. This vulnerability is due to improper validation of errors that are logged as a result of client connections that are made using remote access VPN. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted requests to an affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the affected device to restart, resulting in a DoS condition.
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 confidenceThis vulnerability exists in the remote access SSL VPN components of Cisco ASA and FTD software. It stems from improper error validation when processing client connection logs, allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to send crafted requests that cause the device to restart, resulting in denial of service.
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
< 6.4.0.15>= 6.5.0, < 6.6.5.2>= 6.7.0, < 7.0.2= 7.1.0
Adaptive Security Appliance SoftwareOperating system
< 9.8.4.44>= 9.9, < 9.12.4.38>= 9.13, < 9.14.4>= 9.15, < 9.15.1.21>= 9.16.0, < 9.16.2.14>= 9.17.0, < 9.17.1.7CVSS 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
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the Cisco device productDetermine whether the device is running Cisco ASA (Adaptive Security Appliance) or Cisco FTD (Firepower Threat Defense) software. This can be done via the 'show version' command or by checking the device model in the management interface.Affected if Device is either Cisco ASA or Cisco FTD hardware appliance or virtual appliance.
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Determine the installed software versionRun the 'show version' command on the device CLI or check the version through the management interface. Record the full version number including build information.Affected if The installed version falls outside the fixed version ranges.
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Verify SSL VPN is enabledCheck the device configuration for active VPN-related settings. On ASA, use 'show vpn-sessiondb' or examine the running configuration for 'ssl vpn' or 'webvpn' entries. On FTD, check the VPN configuration through FMC or via 'show vpn-sessiondb' on the device CLI.Affected if SSL VPN (also called WebVPN or AnyConnect VPN) is configured and active on the device.
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Compare version against affected rangesFor ASA: compare your version against < 9.8.4.44, >= 9.9 but < 9.12.4.38, >= 9.13 but < 9.14.4, >= 9.15 but < 9.15.1.21, >= 9.16.0 but < 9.16.2.14, >= 9.17.0 but < 9.17.1.7. For FTD: compare against < 6.4.0.15, >= 6.5.0 but < 6.6.5.2, >= 6.7.0 but < 7.0.2, = 7.1.0.Affected if The installed version matches any of the listed affected version ranges.
You are affected if your device runs Cisco ASA or FTD software with SSL VPN enabled and the installed version falls within any of the affected version ranges listed for this CVE.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped6.4.0.156.6.5.27.0.2
Apply the relevant Cisco security updates for ASA and FTD software. If immediate patching is not possible, consider restricting VPN access to trusted sources via access control lists while planning the update.
FTD: 6.4.0.15, 6.6.5.2, 7.0.2, or 7.1.1+ | ASA: 9.8.4.44, 9.12.4.38, 9.14.4, or 9.15.1.21+
- 1. Identify the exact version of Cisco ASA or FTD software currently running using 'show version' command
- 2. Determine which product family applies to your system (ASA or FTD)
- 3. For Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) devices: Upgrade to version 6.4.0.15 or later, OR 6.6.5.2 or later, OR 7.0.2 or later, OR 7.1.1 or later depending on your release train
- 4. For Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) devices: Upgrade to version 9.8.4.44 or later, OR 9.12.4.38 or later, OR 9.14.4 or later, OR 9.15.1.21 or later depending on your release train
- 5. Download the appropriate fixed software from Cisco's download website (tools.cisco.com) using valid credentials
- 6. Follow Cisco's standard upgrade procedure for your platform - typically via ROMMON boot or upgrade command depending on hardware model
- 7. After upgrade, verify the new version is installed using 'show version'
- 8. Test VPN functionality to confirm the fix does not impact legitimate remote access VPN operations
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Secure Firewall Threat Defense
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,544.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-20715 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-20715 in production — separate from our analysis above.
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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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