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CVE-2025-20333 Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense

Affected softwareCisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense
Severity9.9 Critical CVSS 3.1
WeaknessCWE-120
Published25 Sep 2025
Updated18 Oct 2026

Description

A vulnerability in the VPN web server of Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on an affected device. This vulnerability is due to improper validation of user-supplied input in HTTP(S) requests. An attacker with valid VPN user credentials could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted HTTP requests to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code as root, possibly resulting in the complete compromise of the affected device.

Exploitation status

Exploited

Confirmed real-world exploitation.
  • CISA KEV listed Confirmed exploitation in the wild. Added 2025-09-25 · remediation due 2025-09-26 · ransomware use: unknown
  • VulnCheck KEV listed Exploitation reported in the wild. 26 citations · 1 exploit · earliest 2025-09-25.
  • CISA Vulnrichment exploitation: active CISA records active exploitation. Automatable: no, technical impact: total.
  • Indexed PoC 2 indexed, none at 5+ stars
  • EPSS 72% chance in 30 days A model's forecast, not a report of exploitation. Higher than 99% of all scored CVEs.

VulnCheck KEV

Exploitation evidence from VulnCheck Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (VulnCheck KEV), used under VulnCheck's community terms. View CVE-2025-20333 in VulnCheck (free account), which lists 21 more citations not shown here.

EvidenceSourceDetailDate
Reported exploitation blog.talosintelligence.com /arcanedoor-new-espionage-focused-campaign-found-targeting-perimeter-network-devices 2025-09-25
Reported exploitation sec.cloudapps.cisco.com /security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-asaftd-webvpn-z5xP8EUB 2025-09-25
Reported exploitation sec.cloudapps.cisco.com /security/center/resources/asa_ftd_continued_attacks 2025-09-25
Reported exploitation cisa.gov /news-events/directives/ed-25-03-identify-and-mitigate-potential-compromise-cisco-devices 2025-09-25
Reported exploitation cisa.gov /sites/default/files/feeds/known_exploited_vulnerabilities.json 2025-09-25
Exploit reference VulnCheck XDB 0484a4111572 Exploit type: denial-of-service 2026-08-24

2 of these are GitHub repositories with fewer than 5 stars. They are listed for reference and don't count toward the exploitation status above.

IndexArtifactStarsFirst seen
GitHub PoC Cisco ASA vulnerability research CVE-2025-20333/CVE-2025-20362 2026-08-22
GitHub PoC Safe Python scanner for Cisco CVE-2025-20333 (Cisco ASA/FTD WebVPN Buffer Overflow) 2026-05-16

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.

Affected software and releases

Products and versions

2 products, 12 version entries
SourceVendorProductSchemeAffected versions
nvd cisco adaptive security appliance software generic ≥ 9.12 and ＜ 9.12.4.72 · ≥ 9.14 and ＜ 9.14.4.28 · ≥ 9.16 and ＜ 9.16.4.85 · ≥ 9.17.0 and ＜ 9.17.1.45 · ≥ 9.18 and ＜ 9.18.4.47 · ≥ 9.19 and ＜ 9.19.1.37 · ≥ 9.20 and ＜ 9.20.3.7 · ≥ 9.22 and ＜ 9.22.1.3
nvd cisco secure firewall threat defense generic ≥ 7.0.0 and ＜ 7.0.8.1 · ≥ 7.1.0 and ＜ 7.2.9 · ≥ 7.3.0 and ＜ 7.4.2.4 · 7.6.0

References

URLTags
https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/ed-25-03-identify-and-mitigate-potential-compromise-cisco-devices
https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/supplemental-direction-ed-25-03-core-dump-and-hunt-instructions
https://www.cisa.gov/eviction-strategies-tool/create-from-template
https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/resources/asa_ftd_continued_attacks
https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/private/resources/asa_ftd_continued_attacks#Details
https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-asaftd-webvpn-z5xP8EUB
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2025-20333 US Government Resource

Timeline
Published2025-09-25By the CVE Program.
Added to CISA KEV2025-09-25Listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
VulnCheck KEV: earliest evidence2025-09-25Date of the oldest evidence of exploitation in VulnCheck KEV's record. VulnCheck does not publish the date it listed the CVE.
VulnCheck KEV: latest evidence2026-08-24Date of the newest report, exploit reference or honeypot sighting in VulnCheck KEV's record.
NVD record modified2026-10-18NVD's own last-modified date for this record.