CVE-2024-20431 in Firepower Threat Defense Software
Summary
by MITRE • 10/23/2024
A vulnerability in the geolocation access control feature of Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass an access control policy.
This vulnerability is due to improper assignment of geolocation data. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending traffic through an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to bypass a geolocation-based access control policy and successfully send traffic to a protected device.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/06/2026
This vulnerability resides within Cisco Firepower Threat Defense software's geolocation access control mechanism, representing a critical weakness in network security enforcement. The flaw stems from improper assignment of geolocation data which fundamentally undermines the integrity of location-based access control policies that organizations rely upon for network segmentation and threat mitigation. Geolocation-based controls are essential components of modern cybersecurity architectures, particularly in environments where network access must be restricted based on geographic boundaries to prevent unauthorized access from suspicious regions.
The technical implementation flaw manifests when the system fails to properly validate or assign geolocation attributes to incoming network traffic, allowing malicious actors to bypass these security controls without authentication. This represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege and undermines the foundational security model that organizations implement to protect critical assets. The vulnerability affects the core access control decision-making process within FTD software, where geolocation data should serve as a critical factor in determining whether traffic should be permitted or blocked based on predefined policy rules.
Operationally, this vulnerability enables remote attackers to completely circumvent location-based network restrictions that would normally prevent unauthorized access attempts from specific geographic regions. Attackers can exploit this weakness by simply routing their malicious traffic through an affected FTD device, effectively neutralizing geolocation-based security controls that organizations have deployed to protect sensitive resources. The impact extends beyond simple access bypass as it allows attackers to gain entry to protected systems and networks that would otherwise be restricted based on geographic location, potentially leading to data exfiltration, lateral movement, or other malicious activities.
Organizations utilizing Cisco Firepower Threat Defense software must urgently implement mitigations including immediate software updates from Cisco to address the geolocation assignment flaw. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 Access Control Issues and represents a significant gap in the ATT&CK framework's network ingress and privilege escalation tactics, where adversaries can bypass network controls without authentication. Security teams should also consider implementing additional monitoring for anomalous traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, while temporarily restricting geolocation-based access controls until proper patches are deployed. The remediation process requires careful planning to ensure that existing security policies remain effective during the update cycle while maintaining operational continuity of network services.