Product:
Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance
Summary
A vulnerability in the handling of the embryonic connection limits in Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause incoming TCP SYN packets to be dropped incorrectly. This vulnerability is due to improper handling of new, incoming TCP connections during a TCP SYN flood attack. A successful exploit could prevent all incoming TCP connections, resulting in a denial of service condition for affected features.
Details
| Severity | Base Score | CVE |
|---|---|---|
| HIGH | 8.6 | CVE-2026-20082 |
Exploitation
An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted stream of TCP SYN packets to the affected device. If the device is under a TCP SYN flood attack, the improper handling of these packets can lead to a situation where no new TCP connections can be established. This includes remote management access and all TCP-based network protocols, effectively causing a denial of service.
Affected Products
- Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance: Vulnerable to denial of service due to improper handling of TCP connections under SYN flood conditions.
Mitigation
To mitigate this vulnerability, it is recommended to apply the latest security patches provided by Cisco. Additionally, implementing rate limiting on incoming TCP connections and monitoring for unusual traffic patterns can help reduce the risk of exploitation.