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CVE-2020-3188

Cisco Firepower Threat Defense Software Management Interface Denial of Service Vulnerability

5.3 Medium

A vulnerability in how Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software handles session timeouts for management connections could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a buildup of remote management connections to an affected device, which could result in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability exists because the default session timeout period for specific to-the-box remote management connections is too long. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a large and sustained number of crafted remote management connections to an affected device, resulting in a buildup of those connections over time. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the remote management interface or Cisco Firepower Device Manager (FDM) to stop responding and cause other management functions to go offline, resulting in a DoS condition. The user traffic that is flowing through the device would not be affected, and the DoS condition would be isolated to remote management only.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges needed
None
User interaction
None

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
Low

Exploit likelihood

1.73%Up 1.1 points since Apr 14, 2021
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

CVE List Score used 5.3

Cisco Firepower Threat Defense Software Management Interface Denial of Service Vulnerability

A vulnerability in how Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software handles session timeouts for management connections could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a buildup of remote management connections to an affected device, which could result in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability exists because the default session timeout period for specific to-the-box remote management connections is too long. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a large and sustained number of crafted remote management connections to an affected device, resulting in a buildup of those connections over time. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the remote management interface or Cisco Firepower Device Manager (FDM) to stop responding and cause other management functions to go offline, resulting in a DoS condition. The user traffic that is flowing through the device would not be affected, and the DoS condition would be isolated to remote management only.

Record
CVE-2020-3188
CVSS 3.0
5.3 MediumCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
Weakness
CWE-399
Updated
2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2020-24459 5.3

A vulnerability in how Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software handles session timeouts for management connections could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a buildup of remote management connections to an affected device, which could result in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability exists because the default session timeout period for specific to-the-box remote management connections is too long. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a large and sustained number of crafted remote management connections to an affected device, resulting in a buildup of those connections over time. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the remote management interface or Cisco Firepower Device Manager (FDM) to stop responding and cause other management functions to go offline, resulting in a DoS condition. The user traffic that is flowing through the device would not be affected, and the DoS condition would be isolated to remote management only.

Record
EUVD-2020-24459
CVSS 3.0
5.3 MediumCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
Updated
2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-624j-v5v7-qjpg 5.3

A vulnerability in how Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software handles session timeouts for...

A vulnerability in how Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software handles session timeouts for management connections could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a buildup of remote management connections to an affected device, which could result in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability exists because the default session timeout period for specific to-the-box remote management connections is too long. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a large and sustained number of crafted remote management connections to an affected device, resulting in a buildup of those connections over time. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the remote management interface or Cisco Firepower Device Manager (FDM) to stop responding and cause other management functions to go offline, resulting in a DoS condition. The user traffic that is flowing through the device would not be affected, and the DoS condition would be isolated to remote management only.

Record
GHSA-624j-v5v7-qjpg
CVSS 3.1
5.3 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
Weakness
CWE-613
Updated
2026-11-02
NVD 5.3

A vulnerability in how Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software handles session timeouts for management connections could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a buildup of remote management connections to an affected device, which could result in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability exists because the default session timeout period for specific to-the-box remote management connections is too long. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a large and sustained number of crafted remote management connections to an affected device, resulting in a buildup of those connections over time. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the remote management interface or Cisco Firepower Device Manager (FDM) to stop responding and cause other management functions to go offline, resulting in a DoS condition. The user traffic that is flowing through the device would not be affected, and the DoS condition would be isolated to remote management only.

Record
CVE-2020-3188
CVSS 3.1
5.3 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
CVSS 3.0
5.3 MediumCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
CVSS 2.0
5.0 MediumAV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P
Weakness
CWE-399, CWE-613
Updated
2026-11-02

Affected products

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History

History
RecordedChangedSources
aliases, publishedEUVD
first indexedCVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD

Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.

In short

CVE-2020-3188 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 5.3) in Cisco Firepower Threat Defense Software, published May 6, 2020. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 1.73%, the 77th percentile. No source names a fixed version.

References

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