A vulnerability in the identity-based firewall (IDFW) rule processing feature of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass security protections. This vulnerability is due to improper handling of network requests by affected devices configured to use object group search. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a specially crafted network request to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to bypass access control list (ACL) rules on the device, bypass security protections, and send network traffic to unauthorized hosts. Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability. This advisory is available at the following link: https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-asaftd-rule-bypass-ejjOgQEY This advisory is part of the October 2021 release of the Cisco ASA, FTD, and FMC Security Advisory Bundled publication. For a complete list of the advisories and links to them, see Cisco Event Response: October 2021 Cisco ASA, FMC, and FTD Software Security Advisory Bundled Publication.
A vulnerability in the identity-based firewall (IDFW) rule processing feature of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass security protections.
This vulnerability is due to improper handling of network requests by affected devices configured to use object group search. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a specially crafted network request to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to bypass access control list (ACL) rules on the device, bypass security protections, and send network traffic to unauthorized hosts.
Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability.
This advisory is available at the following link:
https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-asaftd-rule-bypass-ejjOgQEY
This advisory is part of the October 2021 release of the Cisco ASA, FTD, and FMC Security Advisory Bundled publication. For a complete list of the advisories and links to them, see Cisco Event Response: October 2021 Cisco ASA, FMC, and FTD Software Security Advisory Bundled Publication.
At the time of publication, this vulnerability affected Cisco products if they were running a vulnerable release of Cisco ASA Software or FTD Software and had IDFW rules using object group search properties.
For information about which Cisco software releases were vulnerable at the time of publication, see the Fixed Software section of this advisory. See the Details section in the bug ID(s) at the top of this advisory for the most complete and current information.
Only products listed in the Vulnerable Products section of this advisory are known to be affected by this vulnerability.
Cisco has confirmed that this vulnerability does not affect Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC) Software.
Exploitation of this vulnerability could allow an attacker to bypass protections that are provided by an ACL that is applied on an affected device. The overall impact of exploitation is organization-specific because it depends on the importance of the assets that the ACL was supposed to protect. Customers should evaluate how exploitation of this vulnerability would impact their network and proceed according to their own vulnerability-handling and remediation processes.
There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability.
When considering software upgrades, customers are advised to regularly consult the advisories for Cisco products, which are available from the Cisco Security Advisories page, to determine exposure and a complete upgrade solution.
In all cases, customers should ensure that the devices to be upgraded contain sufficient memory and confirm that current hardware and software configurations will continue to be supported properly by the new release. If the information is not clear, customers are advised to contact the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) or their contracted maintenance providers.
At the time of publication, the release information in the following table(s) was accurate. See the Details section in the bug ID(s) at the top of this advisory for the most complete and current information.
The left column lists Cisco software releases, and the right column indicates whether a release was affected by the vulnerability described in this advisory and which release included the fix for this vulnerability.
ASA Software
| Cisco ASA Software Release | First Fixed Release for This Vulnerability |
|---|---|
| 9.7 and earlier1 | Migrate to a fixed release. |
| 9.8 | 9.8.4.40 |
| 9.91 | Migrate to a fixed release. |
| 9.101 | Migrate to a fixed release. |
| 9.12 | 9.12.4.25 |
| 9.131 | Migrate to a fixed release. |
| 9.14 | 9.14.3.1 |
| 9.15 | 9.15.1.17 |
| 9.16 | 9.16.1.28 |
FTD Software
| Cisco FTD Software Release | First Fixed Release for This Vulnerability |
|---|---|
| 6.3 and earlier1 | Migrate to a fixed release. |
| 6.4 | 6.4.0.13 (Nov 2021) |
| 6.51 | Migrate to a fixed release. |
| 6.6 | 6.6.5 |
| 6.7 | 6.7.0.3 (Jan 2022) |
| 7.0 | 7.0.1 |
For instructions on upgrading your FTD device, see Cisco Firepower Management Center Upgrade Guide.
The Cisco Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) validates only the affected and fixed release information that is documented in this advisory.
The Cisco PSIRT is not aware of any public announcements or malicious use of the vulnerability that is described in this advisory.
This vulnerability was found during the resolution of a Cisco TAC support case.
To learn about Cisco security vulnerability disclosure policies and publications, see the Security Vulnerability Policy. This document also contains instructions for obtaining fixed software and receiving security vulnerability information from Cisco.
| Version | Description | Section | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Initial public release. | - | Final | 2021-OCT-27 |
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