CVE-2024-20359 Cisco ASA and FTD Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) and Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) contain a privilege escalation vulnerability that can allow local privilege escalation from Administrator to root.
From the CISA KEV catalogue version 2026.11.06, with Cybergen analysis. Updated 6 Nov 2026.
Should You Worry?
- CISA confirmed exploitation in the wild and added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 24 Apr 2024.
- Rated Medium severity (CVSS 6.0, scored by Vendor).
- This product type is often exposed to the internet, which is where attackers scan for it first.
- It has been in the catalogue for 926 days. Systems still unpatched now have almost certainly been scanned for it.
What It Is
A vulnerability in a legacy capability that allowed for the preloading of VPN clients and plug-ins and that has been available in 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 file when it is read from system flash memory. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by copying a crafted file to the disk0: file system of 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.
Affected Versions
| Product | Versions |
|---|---|
| Cisco Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software | 9.8.1 9.8.1.5 9.8.1.7 9.8.2 9.8.2.8 9.8.2.14 |
| Cisco Cisco Firepower Threat Defense Software | 6.2.3 6.2.3.1 6.2.3.2 6.2.3.3 6.2.3.4 6.2.3.5 |
From the public CVE record, as supplied by the vendor. Always confirm against the vendor advisory.
What To Do Now
- 1
Find it
Search your asset inventory and external attack surface for Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) and Firepower Threat Defense (FTD). Include cloud images, appliances and anything a supplier runs for you.
Attack Surface Management - 2
Fix it
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Vulnerability Management - 3
Hunt for compromise
If an affected system was reachable before you patched, assume it may have been hit. Check logs, new accounts, web shells and outbound connections from the date of exposure.
Incident Response - 4
Prove it is fixed
Rescan or test the system after patching. Upgrades that fail silently and forgotten secondary instances are common.
Penetration Testing
The Compliance Clock
General guidance, not legal advice. Your obligations depend on your sector, scope and jurisdiction.
Not Sure If You Are Exposed?
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