Adaptive Security Appliance SoftwareOperating system · Cisco
CVE-2024-20485
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 VPN web server of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute arbitrary code with root-level privileges. Administrator-level privileges are required to exploit this vulnerability. This vulnerability is due to improper validation of a specific file when it is read from system flash memory. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by restoring a crafted backup file to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code on the affected device after the next reload of the device, which could alter system behavior. Because the injected code could persist across device reboots, Cisco has raised the Security Impact Rating (SIR) of this advisory from Medium to High.
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 confidenceA vulnerability in the VPN web server of Cisco ASA and FTD Software allows an authenticated attacker with administrator privileges to execute arbitrary code with root-level privileges by restoring a crafted backup file to the device. The vulnerability stems from improper validation of a specific file read from system flash memory, and successful exploitation results in persistent code execution across device reboots.
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
= 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
Secure Firewall Threat DefenseApplication
= 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= 6.2.3.11CVSS 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
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 device product and software versionExecute 'show version' or 'show running-config | include version' via CLI to retrieve the Cisco ASA or FTD software versionAffected if The installed version matches any version listed in the affected versions: ASA 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 or FTD 6.2.3 through 6.2.3.11
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Verify administrator account accessCheck 'show privilege' or review 'show running-config | include username' to identify accounts with administrator privilegesAffected if Any administrator-level user accounts exist on the device, as exploitation requires administrator privileges to restore a backup file
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Audit recent configuration backup restorationsReview 'show archive' logs, system messages, or check the device flash for recently modified backup configuration files using 'dir /recursive'Affected if A crafted backup file was recently restored to the device, which would indicate attempted or successful exploitation
The device is affected if it runs Cisco ASA Software version 9.8.1 through 9.8.2.28 or FTD Software version 6.2.3 through 6.2.3.11, has the VPN web server enabled, and allows administrator-level access for backup file restoration.
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 · scopedApply the vendor-supplied patches for Cisco ASA and FTD Software when available. Restrict administrative access to trusted personnel and validate any backup files before restoration.
Upgrade to the fixed ASA Software release (9.8.x or later fixed release) and/or FTD Software release (6.2.3.x or later fixed release) as specified in the Cisco security advisory
- 1. Verify the current software version on the Cisco ASA or FTD device using the 'show version' command
- 2. Access the Cisco Security Advisory at sec.cloudapps.cisco.com for CVE-2024-20485 to obtain the specific fixed software release numbers
- 3. Download the recommended fixed version from the Cisco Software Download center
- 4. Plan a maintenance window as the exploit requires device reload to take effect
- 5. Back up the current device configuration
- 6. Upgrade the ASA Software or FTD Software to the fixed release version
- 7. After upgrade, verify the new version is installed using 'show version'
- 8. Confirm the vulnerability is remediated by attempting the documented attack vector (backup file restore) or verify with Cisco's remediation verification steps
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Adaptive Security Appliance Software
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $3,408.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-20485 — 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-2024-20485 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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