Page generated: 11 Nov 2026, 12:41 UTC
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CVE-2023-20269

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 pass…

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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.
CVSS 5.0 (MEDIUM) KEV: KNOWN CATALOG

Attention and evidence

HYPE SCORE
1.6/10
REALITY · THREAT PRIORITY
7.9/10
General review priority; not probability

Evidence confidence: Exploitation recorded

Why this priority?
  • Recorded exploitation baseline: +7.00
  • Technical severity: CVSS 5: +0.75
  • Fresh EPSS: 26.62%: +0.13

General review priority, not probability, victim count or asset-specific risk. A range covers missing CVSS/EPSS inputs within the current evidence state.

Sources: 11 documents and public datasets.

Hype components

Headline sample (25%)
40/100
Press, 30 days (60%)
10/100
Grounded branding (15%)
0/100
HYPE TOTAL16/100

Sources and documents

GBHackers News
Press · 21 Oct 2026, 07:00 · CISA Warns SafePay Ransomware Has Hit 600+ Organizations and Destroyed Backup Systems - GBHackers News
The Record from Recorded Future News
Press · 20 Oct 2026, 07:00 · FBI says SafePay ransomware gang ‘among most active’ with more than 600 victims since 2024 - The Record from Recorded Future News
Infosecurity Magazine
Press · 03 Jul 2025, 07:00 · Automation and Vulnerability Exploitation Drive Mass Ransomware Breaches - Infosecurity Magazine
IBM
Press · 02 Apr 2025, 20:14 · A spotlight on Akira ransomware from X-Force Incident Response and Threat Intelligence - IBM
Kroll
Press · 19 Apr 2024, 07:00 · Akira Ransomware Makes a Play for VPNs Without Multi-Factor Authentication - Kroll
See all 11 source documents
The Record from Recorded Future News
Press · 18 Apr 2024, 07:00 · Akira ransomware gang made $42 million from 250 attacks since March 2023: FBI - The Record from Recorded Future News
Security Affairs
Press · 24 Jan 2024, 08:00 · Akira ransomware attack on Tietoevry disrupted the services of many Swedish organizations - Security Affairs
Arctic Wolf
Press · 12 Sep 2023, 07:00 · Recommendations for CVE-2023-20269 - Arctic Wolf
TechTarget
Press · 11 Sep 2023, 07:00 · Cisco VPN flaw faces attempted Akira ransomware attacks - TechTarget
BleepingComputer
Press · 08 Sep 2023, 07:00 · Cisco warns of VPN zero-day exploited by ransomware gangs - BleepingComputer
Rapid7
Press · 29 Aug 2023, 07:00 · Under Siege: Rapid7-Observed Exploitation of Cisco ASA SSL VPNs - Rapid7

Score evolution

● Hype   ● Reality

Earlier evidence-support scores are retained in history; this chart shows only the current priority definition.

First record: hype 1.6 · reality 7.9 (2026-11-02 15:13). The curve appears once the score changes.

Public exploit evidence

0

Public exploit entries / repo candidates

Evidence context and dated references

Reality is general threat/review priority, combining observed exploitation, CVSS severity and fresh EPSS. Evidence confidence is separate. This is not calibrated risk, a victim count or an asset-specific assessment. A range reflects missing numeric inputs.

Evidence in context

Confidence in exploitation evidence
Exploitation recorded
Priority basis
Recorded exploitation; CVSS 5; EPSS 26.6%
Attention, last 30 days
2 distinct story titles; 2 press documents; 1 publisher domains.
Technical potential
network access, low privileges, no user interaction.
Observed activity
Exploitation recorded in CISA KEV.
Known scale
Not quantified.
Evidence confidence basis
Trusted exploitation confirmation

Score evaluated: 2026-11-05 13:58:48.602448+00:00 · EPSS snapshot: 2026-11-05T12:03:04Z

Source event timeline
First press mention
29 Aug 2023, 07:00
Published
06 Sep 2023, 17:09
Added to the CISA KEV catalog
13 Sep 2023, 00:00
Latest press mention
21 Oct 2026, 07:00
Score calculated
05 Nov 2026, 13:58