Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance Software OSPF Protocol Parser memory leak

| CVSS Meta Temp Score | Current Exploit Price (≈) | CTI Interest Score |
|---|---|---|
| 4.2 | $0-$5k | 0.00 |
Summary
A vulnerability was found in Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance Software and Secure Firewall Threat Defense Software. It has been rated as problematic. The impacted element is an unknown function of the component OSPF Protocol Parser. This manipulation causes memory leak. This vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2026-20021. The attack is only possible within the local network. No exploit exists. Upgrading the affected component is advised.
Details
A vulnerability has been found in Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance Software and Secure Firewall Threat Defense Software (version unknown) and classified as problematic. Affected by this vulnerability is an unknown function of the component OSPF Protocol Parser. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a memory leak vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is CWE-401. The product does not sufficiently track and release allocated memory after it has been used, which slowly consumes remaining memory. As an impact it is known to affect availability. The summary by CVE is:
A vulnerability in the OSPF protocol of Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an authenticated, adjacent attacker to exhaust memory on an affected device, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. This vulnerability is due to improperly validating input by the OSPF protocol when parsing packets. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by by sending crafted OSPF packets to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to exhaust memory on the affected device, resulting in a DoS condition.
The advisory is shared at sec.cloudapps.cisco.com. This vulnerability is known as CVE-2026-20021 since 10/08/2025. The exploitation appears to be easy. The attack needs to approached within the local network. The exploitation doesn't need any form of authentication. Neither technical details nor an exploit are publicly available. The price for an exploit might be around USD $0-$5k at the moment (estimation calculated on 03/05/2026).
Upgrading eliminates this vulnerability.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Product
Type
Vendor
Name
License
Website
- Vendor: https://www.cisco.com/
CPE 2.3
CPE 2.2
CVSSv4
VulDB Vector: 🔒VulDB Reliability: 🔍
CVSSv3
VulDB Meta Base Score: 4.3VulDB Meta Temp Score: 4.2
VulDB Base Score: 4.3
VulDB Temp Score: 4.1
VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍
CNA Base Score: 4.3
CNA Vector (cisco): 🔒
CVSSv2
| AV | AC | Au | C | I | A |
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| 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 |
| 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 |
| 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 |
| Vector | Complexity | Authentication | Confidentiality | Integrity | Availability |
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VulDB Base Score: 🔒
VulDB Temp Score: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍
Exploiting
Class: Memory leakCWE: CWE-401 / CWE-404
CAPEC: 🔒
ATT&CK: 🔒
Physical: No
Local: No
Remote: Partially
Availability: 🔒
Status: Not defined
EPSS Score: 🔒
EPSS Percentile: 🔒
Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔒
| 0-Day | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock |
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Threat Intelligence
Interest: 🔍Active Actors: 🔍
Active APT Groups: 🔍
Countermeasures
Recommended: UpgradeStatus: 🔍
0-Day Time: 🔒
Timeline
10/08/2025 CVE reserved03/05/2026 Advisory disclosed
03/05/2026 VulDB entry created
03/05/2026 VulDB entry last update
Sources
Vendor: cisco.comAdvisory: cisco-sa-asaftd-ospf-ZH8PhbSW
Status: Confirmed
CVE: CVE-2026-20021 (🔒)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2026-20021
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-348817
Entry
Created: 03/05/2026 02:29Changes: 03/05/2026 02:29 (64)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
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