NVD / CVE Program· CNA cisco

CVE-2020-3187: Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance Software and Firepower Threat Defense Software Web Services Path Traversal Vulnerability

Noroxi assessment

Priority: This week (action score 65/100)

A ready-made attack module is public (Nuclei); exploiting it takes no special expertise.
Public proof-of-concept code exists (Exploit-DB, GitHub); there is no record of exploitation in the wild.
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 96.5% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 99.8% of all records.
Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
According to CISA the attack is automatable: targets can be found by mass scanning.
According to the record, no fixed version is available yet.

Don’t wait for the next maintenance window. Until a fix is released, restrict access to the affected component and follow the vendor's advisory.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

A vulnerability in the web services interface of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to conduct directory traversal attacks and obtain read and delete access to sensitive files on a targeted system. The vulnerability is due to a lack of proper input validation of the HTTP URL. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request containing directory traversal character sequences. An exploit could allow the attacker to view or delete arbitrary files on the targeted system. When the device is reloaded after exploitation of this vulnerability, any files that were deleted are restored. The attacker can only view and delete files within the web services file system. This file system is enabled when the affected device is configured with either WebVPN or AnyConnect features. This vulnerability can not be used to obtain access to ASA or FTD system files or underlying operating system (OS) files. Reloading the affected device will restore all files within the web services file system.

CriticalCVSS 9.1 · v3.1—Proof of concept No fix recorded

BDU:2020-02069

Published: May 6, 2020
Updated: Aug 11, 2026
EPSS: 96.5% · 99th percentile
CWE: CWE-22

Report tools

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Action score

This week

Don’t wait for the next maintenance window.

CVSS: 36 / 40 · 9.1 / 10
CISA KEV: 0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS: 29 / 30 · 96.5%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation: none
Automatable: yes
Technical impact: total

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD: 9.1
CNA · cisco: 9.1; agree

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Get told when this record changes

Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
Proof of concept exists, no weaponized module
No fixed version yet

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

Vendor	Product	CPE
cisco	secure firewall threat defense	cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_threat_defense
cisco	asa 5505 firmware	cpe:2.3:o:cisco:asa_5505_firmware
cisco	asa 5505	cpe:2.3:h:cisco:asa_5505
cisco	asa 5510 firmware	cpe:2.3:o:cisco:asa_5510_firmware
cisco	asa 5510	cpe:2.3:h:cisco:asa_5510
cisco	asa 5512-x firmware	cpe:2.3:o:cisco:asa_5512-x_firmware
cisco	asa 5512-x	cpe:2.3:h:cisco:asa_5512-x
cisco	asa 5515-x firmware	cpe:2.3:o:cisco:asa_5515-x_firmware
cisco	asa 5515-x	cpe:2.3:h:cisco:asa_5515-x
cisco	asa 5520 firmware	cpe:2.3:o:cisco:asa_5520_firmware
cisco	asa 5520	cpe:2.3:h:cisco:asa_5520
cisco	asa 5525-x firmware	cpe:2.3:o:cisco:asa_5525-x_firmware

and 14 more

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

cisco adaptive security appliance software9.6 and later · before 9.6.4.40
cisco adaptive security appliance software9.8 and later · before 9.8.4.15
cisco adaptive security appliance software9.9 and later · before 9.9.2.66
cisco adaptive security appliance software9.10 and later · before 9.10.1.37
cisco adaptive security appliance software9.12 and later · before 9.12.3.2
cisco adaptive security appliance software9.13 and later · before 9.13.1.7

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (cisco). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

Cisco Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
- n/aaffected

Same product

cisco: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

CVE-2020-3259Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance Software and Firepower Threat Defense Software Web Services Information Disclosure VulnerabilityKEV
81Now
CVE-2020-3580Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance Software and Firepower Threat Defense Software Web Services Interface Cross-Site Scripting VulnerabilitiesKEV
80Now
CVE-2024-20481A vulnerability in the Remote Access VPN (RAVPN) service of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat DefeKEV
60This week

Published before and after this one in the same product

← EarlierCVE-2020-3179May 6, 2020 · Cisco Firepower Threat Defense Software Generic Routing Encapsulation Tunnel IPv6 Denial of Service Vulnerability
31Monitor
← EarlierCVE-2020-3186May 6, 2020 · Cisco Firepower Threat Defense Software Management Access List Bypass Vulnerability
21Monitor
Later →CVE-2020-3188May 6, 2020 · Cisco Firepower Threat Defense Software Management Interface Denial of Service Vulnerability
22Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.

Exploit status

Proof of concept available

A public proof of concept or detection signature exists. Exploit knowledge is out there; don't delay patching.

Evidence

Exploit-DB entry ×1
Nuclei detection template ×2
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub ×5

Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.

Public exploit evidence
Source	Kind	Date
Exploit-DB entry	webapps	2020-07-29
Nuclei detection template	Nuclei template CVE-2020-3187	—
Nuclei detection template	Nuclei template cisco-asa-workflow	—
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub	stars:1	2020-07-28
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub	stars:0	2020-09-11
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub	stars:0	2021-06-14
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub	stars:0	2023-03-14
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub	stars:1	2024-05-19

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

PublishedMay 6, 2020
First PoCJul 28, 2020+82 d
TodayNov 1, 2026+2370 d

No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
No account or password is required.
No user action is required.
No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality: high · data can be read
Integrity: high · data or configuration can be modified
Availability: none

Attack vector: Network
Attack complexity: Low
Privileges required: None
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality impact: High
Integrity impact: High
Availability impact: None

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

nvd-primary

Root cause

A user-supplied file name is joined with the allowed directory, but the result is never checked to confirm it is still inside that directory.

The bug in code

The whole CWE-22 class

A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

Vulnerable

1const file = path.join(ROOT, req.query.name);
2res.sendFile(file);

Fixed

1const file = path.resolve(ROOT, req.query.name);
2if (!file.startsWith(ROOT + path.sep)) {
3  return res.sendStatus(400);
4}
5res.sendFile(file);

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

Attack patterns (CAPEC)

ATT&CK techniques

—

Change log

No changes recorded on tracked fields yet. Score, KEV, exploit maturity and fix status changes appear here.

References

tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-asaftd-path-JE3azWw43

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records

Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

We use this product, ask for help

Data sources and verification

CNA: cisco

CVE.org (CNA)Nov 15, 2024, 5:25 PM UTC
CISA ADPNov 15, 2024, 5:25 PM UTC
NVDAug 11, 2026, 3:33 PM UTC
FIRST EPSSOct 31, 2026, 12:00 AM UTC
Exploit-DBNov 1, 2026, 3:18 AM UTC
NucleiNov 1, 2026, 3:18 AM UTC
PoC-in-GitHubNov 1, 2026, 3:18 AM UTC

Each line is when that source was last processed for this record.