Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance and Secure Firewall Threat Defense Software Authenticated Command Injection Vulnerabilities
MonitorCVSS 6.5cisco-sa-ftd-cmd-inj-mTzGZexfMar 4, 2026
CiscoEnergyManufacturing
IT in OT - Cisco networking products are commonly deployed in OT environments
Attack path
Attack VectorLocal
Auth RequiredLow
ComplexityLow
User InteractionNone needed
Summary
Multiple authenticated command injection vulnerabilities in the CLI feature of Cisco Secure Firewall ASA and Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) software allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute commands with elevated privileges or cause the device to reload unexpectedly (denial of service). Affected products include Firepower 2100/1000/9000/4100 Series, ASA 5500-X Series, 3000 Series ISA, Secure Firewall Threat Defense Virtual, and Secure Firewall 3100/4200/1200 Series appliances.
What this means
What could happen
An attacker with local access and valid credentials could run elevated commands on your firewall, potentially modifying firewall rules, redirecting traffic, or causing the firewall to restart unexpectedly and block all network traffic until it recovers.
Who's at risk
Energy utilities, water authorities, and manufacturing facilities that rely on Cisco Secure Firewall appliances (ASA, FTD, Firepower Series) for perimeter security and network protection. This includes data center firewalls, branch firewalls, and industrial security appliances protecting SCADA or control system networks.
How it could be exploited
An attacker with a valid local user account on the firewall (e.g., admin or readonly credentials) accesses the device CLI and injects malicious commands into vulnerable CLI input fields. The firewall processes these commands with elevated privileges, allowing the attacker to execute arbitrary actions or cause a denial of service by reloading the device.
Prerequisites
- Valid local user credentials (admin, readonly, or other CLI-capable account)
- Local CLI access to the firewall (console, SSH, or local terminal)
- Knowledge of vulnerable CLI input fields that accept command injection
No authentication required for some CLI functions (some vulnerable commands callable by low-privilege users)Low complexity attack (standard CLI input)Local access required but insider threat or compromised workstation manageableCould impact critical firewall availability
Exploitability
Unlikely to be exploited — EPSS score 0.4%
Affected products (10)
10 with fix
ProductAffected VersionsFix Status
Firepower 2100 SeriesAll versionsFix available
Firepower 1000 SeriesAll versionsFix available
ASA 5500-X Series FirewallsAll versionsFix available
3000 Series Industrial Security Appliances (ISA)All versionsFix available
Firepower 9000 SeriesAll versionsFix available
Firepower 4100 SeriesAll versionsFix available
Secure Firewall Threat Defense VirtualAll versionsFix available
Secure Firewall 3100 SeriesAll versionsFix available
Remediation & Mitigation
0/5
Do now
0/23000 Series Industrial Security Appliances (ISA)
HARDENINGRestrict local CLI access to trusted administrators only; remove or disable any unnecessary local user accounts with CLI privileges
All products
HARDENINGMonitor and log all CLI access and commands executed on your firewall; review logs for suspicious activity or failed authentication attempts
Schedule — requires maintenance window
0/2Patching may require device reboot — plan for process interruption
HOTFIXConsult Cisco advisory CISCO cisco-sa-ftd-cmd-inj-mTzGZexf and download the fixed firmware version for your specific firewall model and series
HOTFIXPlan and execute firmware updates during a maintenance window to avoid firewall downtime; test updates in a lab or non-production environment first
Long-term hardening
0/1HARDENINGImplement strong password policies and multi-factor authentication (if supported) for all firewall admin accounts to reduce the risk of credential compromise
↑↓ Navigate · Esc Close
API:
/api/v1/advisories/12dae3aa-4d5d-4434-a8c1-1d7be44757c5Get OTPulse briefings by email
Advisory breakdowns and incident analyses for the people actually defending OT environments. Sent when there's something worth your attention, not on a schedule. Free, no account required.