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Permissions, Privileges & Access ControlsWeakness · CWE-264

CVE-2024-20370

MEDIUM · 6.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-10-23
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
A vulnerability in the Cisco FXOS CLI feature on specific hardware platforms for Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to elevate their administrative privileges to root. The attacker would need valid administrative credentials on the device to exploit this vulnerability. This vulnerability exists because certain system configurations and executable files have insecure storage and permissions. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by authenticating on the device and then performing a series of steps that includes downloading malicious system files and accessing the Cisco FXOS CLI to configure the attack. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to obtain root access on the 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

A local privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the Cisco FXOS CLI on specific hardware platforms running ASA or FTD software. An authenticated administrator can exploit insecure storage and permissions on certain system configuration and executable files to gain root access by downloading malicious system files and leveraging the FXOS CLI configuration interface.

MitigationApply Cisco security patches for FXOS/ASA/FTD when available. Restrict administrative access and monitor for unauthorized configuration changes via FXOS CLI.

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

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 system product and software
    Access the CLI and run 'show version' or 'show inventory' to determine if the system runs Cisco FXOS, ASA, or FTD software on affected hardware platforms
    Affected if The system is identified as a Cisco FXOS-enabled platform running ASA or FTD software and the version cannot be confirmed as patched
  2. Determine the FXOS software version
    In the FXOS CLI, run the command to display the FXOS version (typically 'show version' or 'show firmware') and note the exact version number
    Affected if The installed FXOS version falls within any unpatched version range or cannot be verified as patched against Cisco advisories
  3. Verify file permissions on system configuration files
    Use FXOS CLI or system diagnostic commands to inspect permissions on critical system configuration files in /etc, /opt, or similar system directories - look for world-writable or overly permissive ownership on files that should be restricted
    Affected if System configuration or executable files have insecure permissions (world-writable, unusual ownership) that would allow a local administrator to modify them
  4. Check for presence of downloadable system files via FXOS CLI
    From FXOS CLI, verify if the 'download' or file transfer commands are available for system files, and check if the system allows downloading of configuration or executable files to authenticated administrators
    Affected if The FXOS CLI configuration interface permits authenticated administrators to download system configuration or executable files to the local system
  5. Confirm administrative access to FXOS CLI
    Verify that the system has at least one account with administrative privileges to the FXOS CLI
    Affected if An authenticated administrator account exists with access to the FXOS CLI configuration interface

The environment is affected if it runs Cisco FXOS on hardware platforms supporting ASA or FTD software, has an authenticated administrator with FXOS CLI access, and the installed FXOS/ASA/FTD version is unpatched against CVE-2024-20370.

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 Cisco security patches for FXOS/ASA/FTD when available. Restrict administrative access and monitor for unauthorized configuration changes via FXOS CLI.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2024-20370 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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