CVE-2020-3298
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance Software and Firepower Threat Defense Software Malformed OSPF Packets Processing Denial of Service Vulnerability
A vulnerability in the Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) implementation of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause the reload of an affected device, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to improper memory protection mechanisms while processing certain OSPF packets. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a series of malformed OSPF packets in a short period of time to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause a reload of the affected device, resulting in a DoS condition for client traffic that is traversing the device.
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
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
8.6
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance Software and Firepower Threat Defense Software Malformed OSPF Packets Processing Denial of Service Vulnerability
A vulnerability in the Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) implementation of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause the reload of an affected device, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to improper memory protection mechanisms while processing certain OSPF packets. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a series of malformed OSPF packets in a short period of time to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause a reload of the affected device, resulting in a DoS condition for client traffic that is traversing the device.
- Record
CVE-2020-3298- CVSS 3.0
- 8.6 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-125
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2020-24569
8.6
A vulnerability in the Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) implementation of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause the reload of an affected device, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to improper memory protection mechanisms while processing certain OSPF packets. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a series of malformed OSPF packets in a short period of time to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause a reload of the affected device, resulting in a DoS condition for client traffic that is traversing the device.
- Record
EUVD-2020-24569- CVSS 3.0
- 8.6 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-g29g-jh49-m5j2
7.5
A vulnerability in the Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) implementation of Cisco Adaptive Security...
A vulnerability in the Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) implementation of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause the reload of an affected device, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to improper memory protection mechanisms while processing certain OSPF packets. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a series of malformed OSPF packets in a short period of time to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause a reload of the affected device, resulting in a DoS condition for client traffic that is traversing the device.
- Record
GHSA-g29g-jh49-m5j2- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-125
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
7.5
A vulnerability in the Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) implementation of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause the reload of an affected device, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to improper memory protection mechanisms while processing certain OSPF packets. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a series of malformed OSPF packets in a short period of time to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause a reload of the affected device, resulting in a DoS condition for client traffic that is traversing the device.
- Record
CVE-2020-3298- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - CVSS 3.0
- 8.6 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 7.8 High
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C - Weakness
- CWE-125
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| facts | ||
| aliases, published | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2020-3298 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 8.6) in Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance Software, published May 6, 2020. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 1.98%, the 80th percentile. No source names a fixed version.