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CVE-2024-20359

Severity6.0 Medium CVSS 3.1 2 scores
WeaknessCode injection (CWE-94)
Published24 Apr 2024
Updated11 Aug 2026

Description

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.

Exploitation status

Exploited

Confirmed real-world exploitation.
  • CISA KEV listed Confirmed exploitation in the wild. Added 2024-04-24 · remediation due 2024-05-01 · ransomware use: unknown
  • VulnCheck KEV listed Exploitation reported in the wild. 17 citations · earliest 2024-04-24.
  • CISA Vulnrichment exploitation: active CISA records active exploitation. Automatable: no, technical impact: partial.
  • Indexed PoC none indexed
  • EPSS 19% chance in 30 days A model's forecast, not a report of exploitation. Higher than 97% of all scored CVEs.

VulnCheck KEV

Exploitation evidence from VulnCheck Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (VulnCheck KEV), used under VulnCheck's community terms. View CVE-2024-20359 in VulnCheck (free account), which lists 12 more citations not shown here.

EvidenceSourceDetailDate
Reported exploitation sec.cloudapps.cisco.com /security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-asaftd-persist-rce-FLsNXF4h 2024-04-24
Reported exploitation sec.cloudapps.cisco.com /security/center/resources/asa_ftd_attacks_event_response 2024-04-24
Reported exploitation cisa.gov /news-events/alerts/2024/04/24/cisco-releases-security-updates-addressing-arcanedoor-vulnerabilities-cisco-firewall-platforms 2024-04-24
Reported exploitation cisa.gov /sites/default/files/feeds/known_exploited_vulnerabilities.json 2024-04-24
Reported exploitation ncsc.gov.uk /static-assets/documents/malware-analysis-reports/line/ncsc-tip-line-runner.pdf 2024-04-24

Waratek protection

Outside Waratek scope

A Java vulnerability, but not one Waratek protects. It affects only Java on a user's desktop (applets, Web Start, JavaFX, the installer), sits in a product the Waratek agent can't be installed into, or is in a package we don't expect in business applications. The decision below says which.

  • Protection none
  • Action not pursued none
  • Review automated Upstream data
  • Record active
Decided by The only affected product being a sealed appliance image, where Java runs but no -javaagent can be attached
Finding This CVE names only products the Waratek agent cannot be installed into (cisco/secure_firewall_threat_defense). They ship as sealed appliance images or as native code with no application JVM, so there is no start-up line to add -javaagent to. The vulnerability may well be a Java one; it is permanently out of ARMR's reach rather than outside its subject.

CVSS

6.0 MEDIUM v3.1 CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N 2 metrics

We show the highest score from the newest CVSS version. Scores from different versions can't be compared, and the first score listed is sometimes a 0.0 placeholder.

VersionScoreBandVectorAssignerType
CVSS 3.1 6.0 MEDIUM CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N psirt@cisco.com Secondary published
CVSS 3.1 6.0 MEDIUM CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N NVD Primary

Affected software and releases

Products and versions

2 products, 267 version entries
SourceVendorProductSchemeAffected versions
nvd cisco adaptive security appliance software generic 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 · 9.8.2.33 · 9.8.2.35 · 9.8.2.38 · 9.8.3 · 9.8.3.8 · 9.8.3.11 · 9.8.3.14 · 9.8.3.16 · 9.8.3.18 · 9.8.3.21 · 9.8.3.26 · 9.8.3.29 · 9.8.4 · 9.8.4.3 · 9.8.4.7 · 9.8.4.8 · 9.8.4.10 · 9.8.4.12 · 9.8.4.15 · 9.8.4.17 · 9.8.4.20 · 9.8.4.22 · 9.8.4.25 · 9.8.4.26 · 9.8.4.29 · 9.8.4.32 · 9.8.4.33 · 9.8.4.34 · 9.8.4.35 · 9.8.4.39 · 9.8.4.40 · 9.8.4.41 · 9.8.4.43 · 9.8.4.44 · 9.8.4.45 · 9.8.4.46 · 9.8.4.48 · 9.12.1 · 9.12.1.2 · 9.12.1.3 · 9.12.2 · 9.12.2.1 · 9.12.2.4 · 9.12.2.5 · 9.12.2.9 · 9.12.3 · 9.12.3.2 · 9.12.3.7 · 9.12.3.9 · 9.12.3.12 · 9.12.4 · 9.12.4.2 · 9.12.4.4 · 9.12.4.7 · 9.12.4.8 · 9.12.4.10 · 9.12.4.13 · 9.12.4.18 · 9.12.4.24 · 9.12.4.26 · 9.12.4.29 · 9.12.4.30 · 9.12.4.35 · 9.12.4.37 · 9.12.4.38 · 9.12.4.39 · 9.12.4.40 · 9.12.4.41 · 9.12.4.47 · 9.12.4.48 · 9.12.4.50 · 9.12.4.52 · 9.12.4.54 · 9.12.4.55 · 9.12.4.56 · 9.12.4.58 · 9.12.4.62 · 9.12.4.65 · 9.14.1 · 9.14.1.6 · 9.14.1.10 · 9.14.1.15 · 9.14.1.19 · 9.14.1.30 · 9.14.2 · 9.14.2.4 · 9.14.2.8 · 9.14.2.13 · 9.14.2.15 · 9.14.3 · 9.14.3.1 · 9.14.3.9 · 9.14.3.11 · 9.14.3.13 · 9.14.3.15 · 9.14.3.18 · 9.14.4 · 9.14.4.6 · 9.14.4.7 · 9.14.4.12 · 9.14.4.13 · 9.14.4.14 · 9.14.4.15 · 9.14.4.17 · 9.14.4.22 · 9.14.4.23 · 9.15.1 · 9.15.1.1 · 9.15.1.7 · 9.15.1.10 · 9.15.1.15 · 9.15.1.16 · 9.15.1.17 · 9.15.1.21 · 9.16.1 · 9.16.1.28 · 9.16.2 · 9.16.2.3 · 9.16.2.7 · 9.16.2.11 · 9.16.2.13 · 9.16.2.14 · 9.16.3 · 9.16.3.3 · 9.16.3.14 · 9.16.3.15 · 9.16.3.19 · 9.16.3.23 · 9.16.4 · 9.16.4.9 · 9.16.4.14 · 9.16.4.18 · 9.16.4.19 · 9.16.4.27 · 9.16.4.38 · 9.16.4.39 · 9.16.4.42 · 9.16.4.48 · 9.16.4.55 · 9.17.1 · 9.17.1.7 · 9.17.1.9 · 9.17.1.10 · 9.17.1.11 · 9.17.1.13 · 9.17.1.15 · 9.17.1.20 · 9.17.1.30 · 9.17.1.33 · 9.18.1 · 9.18.1.3 · 9.18.2 · 9.18.2.5 · 9.18.2.7 · 9.18.2.8 · 9.18.3 · 9.18.3.39 · 9.18.3.46 · 9.18.3.53 · 9.18.3.55 · 9.18.3.56 · 9.18.4 · 9.18.4.5 · 9.18.4.8 · 9.19.1 · 9.19.1.5 · 9.19.1.9 · 9.19.1.12 · 9.19.1.18 · 9.19.1.22 · 9.19.1.24 · 9.19.1.27 · 9.20.1 · 9.20.1.5 · 9.20.2
nvd cisco secure firewall threat defense generic 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 · 6.2.3.11 · 6.2.3.12 · 6.2.3.13 · 6.2.3.14 · 6.2.3.15 · 6.2.3.16 · 6.2.3.17 · 6.2.3.18 · 6.4.0 · 6.4.0.1 · 6.4.0.2 · 6.4.0.3 · 6.4.0.4 · 6.4.0.5 · 6.4.0.6 · 6.4.0.7 · 6.4.0.8 · 6.4.0.9 · 6.4.0.10 · 6.4.0.11 · 6.4.0.12 · 6.4.0.13 · 6.4.0.14 · 6.4.0.15 · 6.4.0.16 · 6.4.0.17 · 6.6.0 · 6.6.0.1 · 6.6.1 · 6.6.3 · 6.6.4 · 6.6.5 · 6.6.5.1 · 6.6.5.2 · 6.6.7 · 6.6.7.1 · 6.7.0 · 6.7.0.1 · 6.7.0.2 · 6.7.0.3 · 7.0.0 · 7.0.0.1 · 7.0.1 · 7.0.1.1 · 7.0.2 · 7.0.2.1 · 7.0.3 · 7.0.4 · 7.0.5 · 7.0.6 · 7.0.6.1 · 7.1.0 · 7.1.0.1 · 7.1.0.2 · 7.1.0.3 · 7.2.0 · 7.2.0.1 · 7.2.1 · 7.2.2 · 7.2.3 · 7.2.4 · 7.2.4.1 · 7.2.5 · 7.2.5.1 · 7.3.0 · 7.3.1 · 7.3.1.1 · 7.4.0 · 7.4.1

References

URLTags
https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-asaftd-persist-rce-FLsNXF4h
https://blog.talosintelligence.com/arcanedoor-new-espionage-focused-campaign-found-targeting-perimeter-network-devices/ Exploit, Third Party Advisory
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2024-20359 US Government Resource

Timeline
Published2024-04-24By the CVE Program.
Added to CISA KEV2024-04-24Listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
VulnCheck KEV: earliest evidence2024-04-24Date of the oldest evidence of exploitation in VulnCheck KEV's record. VulnCheck does not publish the date it listed the CVE.
VulnCheck KEV: latest evidence2025-12-02Date of the newest report, exploit reference or honeypot sighting in VulnCheck KEV's record.
NVD record modified2026-08-11NVD's own last-modified date for this record.