# CVE-2023-20269: Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance and Firepower Threat Defense Unauthorized Access > Attackers can brute force credentials or establish unauthorized clientless SSL VPN sessions due to improper AAA separation in Cisco ASA and FTD software. - **Severity:** Medium 5.0 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:N`) - **Exploited in the wild:** Yes, since 13 Sep 2023 (CISA KEV), used in ransomware - **Login needed:** Any signed-in user - **Attackable:** Over the internet - **Victim action needed:** Not needed - **Fix available:** No - **Published:** 6 Sep 2023 - **Updated:** 6 Aug 2026 - **Also known as:** GHSA-v7pw-9cmm-88m6 ## What is CVE-2023-20269? CVE-2023-20269 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance Software, published on 6 Sep 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim. ### Official description A vulnerability in the remote access VPN feature of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to conduct a brute force attack in an attempt to identify valid username and password combinations or an authenticated, remote attacker to establish a clientless SSL VPN session with an unauthorized user. This vulnerability is due to improper separation of authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) between the remote access VPN feature and the HTTPS management and site-to-site VPN features. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by specifying a default connection profile/tunnel group while conducting a brute force attack or while establishing a clientless SSL VPN session using valid credentials. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to achieve one or both of the following: Identify valid credentials that could then be used to establish an unauthorized remote access VPN session. Establish a clientless SSL VPN session (only when running Cisco ASA Software Release 9.16 or earlier). Notes: Establishing a client-based remote access VPN tunnel is not possible as these default connection profiles/tunnel groups do not and cannot have an IP address pool configured. This vulnerability does not allow an attacker to bypass authentication. To successfully establish a remote access VPN session, valid credentials are required, including a valid second factor if multi-factor authentication (MFA) is configured. Cisco will release software updates that address this vulnerability. There are workarounds that address this vulnerability. Weakness: CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization), CWE-288 (Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel) ## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-20269? It affects 2 products. Products: Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance Software, Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense. ## How do I fix CVE-2023-20269? No fix has been published for CVE-2023-20269 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available. US federal agencies must fix it by 4 Oct 2023. ## Is CVE-2023-20269 being exploited? Yes. Attackers have exploited CVE-2023-20269 in the wild since at least 13 Sep 2023, including in ransomware campaigns. ## Other vulnerabilities in Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance Software - [CVE-2025-20333](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20333/): Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) and Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) Buffer Overflow (critical 9.9, exploited in the wild) - [CVE-2016-6366](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-6366/): Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) SNMP Buffer Overflow (high 8.8, exploited in the wild) - [CVE-2026-20349](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-20349/): Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) and Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) Heap Inspection (high 8.6, exploited in the wild) - [CVE-2024-20353](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-20353/): Cisco ASA and FTD Denial of Service (high 8.6, exploited in the wild) - [CVE-2016-6367](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-6367/): Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) CLI Remote Code Execution (high 7.8, exploited in the wild) ## Fix prompt for AI coding agents ```text Check this codebase for CVE-2023-20269 and fix it if it is affected. What it is: CVE-2023-20269 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance Software, published on 6 Sep 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim. Exploitation: Yes. Attackers have exploited CVE-2023-20269 in the wild since at least 13 Sep 2023, including in ransomware campaigns. Affected product: Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance Software. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page. Task: 1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies. 2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it. 3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead. 4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why. 5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing. Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-20269/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-20269/index.md) ``` ## Sources - CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-20269 - NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-20269 - OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-20269 --- From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-20269/ Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.