CVE-2022-20759
HighCVSS 8.8Exploitation Probability (EPSS)
Very high risk98th percentile - higher than 98% of all known CVEs
Summary
A vulnerability in the web services interface for remote access VPN features of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an authenticated, but unprivileged, remote attacker to elevate privileges to level 15. This vulnerability is due to improper separation of authentication and authorization scopes. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted HTTPS messages to the web services interface of an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to gain privilege level 15 access to the web management interface of the device, including via tools like ASDM or CSM. For FTD, the impact is lower because the management interface allows read-only access.
Risk Assessment
The risk includes the possibility of privilege escalation to full control over the device, which could lead to network security compromise. An attacker could change configuration, access sensitive data, or disrupt services.
Recommendation
It is recommended to apply available updates for Cisco ASA/FTD software. Also, restrict access to management interfaces and monitor logs for unusual HTTPS requests.
Original NVD description (English source)
A vulnerability in the web services interface for remote access VPN features of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an authenticated, but unprivileged, remote attacker to elevate privileges to level 15. This vulnerability is due to improper separation of authentication and authorization scopes. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted HTTPS messages to the web services interface of an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to gain privilege level 15 access to the web management interface of the device. This includes privilege level 15 access to the device using management tools like the Cisco Adaptive Security Device Manager (ASDM) or the Cisco Security Manager (CSM). Note: With Cisco FTD Software, the impact is lower than the CVSS score suggests because the affected web management interface allows for read access only.

