---
id: "CVE-2024-20481"
kind: "vulnerability"
aliases: ["CVE-2024-20481"]
title: "cisco secure firewall threat defense: A vulnerability in the Remote Access VPN (RAVPN) service of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and\u2026"
severity: "high"
cvss: 5.8
epss: null
exploited: true
status: "open"
category: "infrastructure"
products: [{"name": "Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) and Firepower Threat Defense (FTD)", "fixed": [], "affected": "", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.2.3", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.2.3.1", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.2.3.2", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.2.3.3", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.2.3.4", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.2.3.5", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.2.3.6", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.2.3.7", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.2.3.8", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.2.3.9", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.2.3.10", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.2.3.11", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.2.3.12", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.2.3.13", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.2.3.14", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.2.3.15", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.2.3.16", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.2.3.17", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.2.3.18", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.4.0", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.4.0.1", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.4.0.2", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.4.0.3", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.4.0.4", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.4.0.5", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.4.0.6", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.4.0.7", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.4.0.8", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.4.0.9", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.4.0.10", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.4.0.11", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.4.0.12", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.4.0.13", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.4.0.14", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.4.0.15", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.4.0.16", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.4.0.17", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.4.0.18", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.6.0", "ecosystem": "vendor"}, {"name": "cisco secure firewall threat defense", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 6.6.0.1", "ecosystem": "vendor"}]
ecosystems: ["vendor"]
tags: ["asa", "cisco", "exploited", "firepower", "ftd", "infrastructure", "remote-access-vpn"]
not_affected_if: ["no-ravpn-enabled"]
published_at: "2024-10-23T18:15:11+00:00"
first_seen_at: "2026-10-23T19:11:51+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-10-23T22:29:05+00:00"
sources: [{"source": "kev", "url": "https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?search_api_fulltext=CVE-2024-20481", "first_seen_at": "2026-10-23T19:11:51+00:00"}, {"source": "nvd", "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-20481", "first_seen_at": "2026-10-23T22:29:05+00:00"}]
---

# cisco secure firewall threat defense: A vulnerability in the Remote Access VPN (RAVPN) service of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and…

Cisco ASA and Firepower Threat Defense firewalls have a resource leak that lets an unauthenticated remote attacker crash or deny service to the remote access VPN (RAVPN) service. CISA lists it as actively exploited.

_Summary, check and fix written by a model from the sources; labelled as such._

## Affected

- vendor:Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) and Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) affected ? fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.2.3 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.2.3.1 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.2.3.2 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.2.3.3 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.2.3.4 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.2.3.5 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.2.3.6 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.2.3.7 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.2.3.8 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.2.3.9 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.2.3.10 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.2.3.11 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.2.3.12 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.2.3.13 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.2.3.14 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.2.3.15 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.2.3.16 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.2.3.17 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.2.3.18 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.4.0 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.4.0.1 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.4.0.2 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.4.0.3 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.4.0.4 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.4.0.5 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.4.0.6 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.4.0.7 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.4.0.8 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.4.0.9 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.4.0.10 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.4.0.11 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.4.0.12 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.4.0.13 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.4.0.14 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.4.0.15 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.4.0.16 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.4.0.17 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.4.0.18 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.6.0 fixed ?
- vendor:cisco secure firewall threat defense affected = 6.6.0.1 fixed ?

## How to check

Check whether the device runs remote access VPN (RAVPN) and which ASA or FTD software version it is on; the sources do not give a specific command.

## Fix

Apply the mitigations and fixed releases from Cisco's advisory; the sources do not name the version. If no mitigation is available, CISA says to discontinue use of the product.

## Timeline

- 2026-10-23T19:11:51+00:00 kev https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?search_api_fulltext=CVE-2024-20481
- 2026-10-23T22:29:05+00:00 nvd https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-20481

## From the sources

A vulnerability in the Remote Access VPN (RAVPN) service of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) of the RAVPN service.
 This vulnerability is due to resource exhaustion. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a large number of VPN authentication requests to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to exhaust resources, resulting in a DoS of the RAVPN service on the affected device. Depending on the impact of the attack, a reload of the device may be required to restore the RAVPN service. Services that are not related to VPN are not affected.
 Cisco Talos discussed these attacks in the blog post Large-scale brute-force activity targeting VPNs, SSH services with commonly used login credentials.

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_Free to read at a human pace. An API with keys and an MCP server are in preparation; early access: hello@infrastack.ai_
