Cisco ASA/FTD WebVPN File-Handler Heap Buffer Overflow Exposure Scanner (CVE-2025-20333)
by curtishoughton · 2026-07-06
- Severity
- Critical
- CVE
- CVE-2025-20333
- Category
- network
- Affected product
- Cisco Secure ASA and Cisco Secure FTD (WebVPN / AnyConnect file upload handler)
- Affected versions
- Per Cisco advisory for CVE-2025-20333 (see references; not enumerated in this repository)
- Disclosed
- 2026-07-06
- Patch status
- unpatched
Tags
Archive entry
intelseclab/poc-archiveMetadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Date Added | 2026-07-06 |
| Last Updated | 2026-07-06 |
| Author / Researcher | curtishoughton |
| CVE / Advisory | CVE-2025-20333 |
| Category | network |
| Severity | Critical |
| CVSS Score | 9.9 (per repository) |
| Status | PoC |
| Tags | cisco, asa, ftd, webvpn, anyconnect, heap-buffer-overflow, cwe-120, rce-as-root, exposure-scanner, path-traversal, python |
| Related | CVE-2025-20362 |
Affected Target
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Software / System | Cisco Secure ASA and Cisco Secure FTD (WebVPN / AnyConnect file upload handler) |
| Versions Affected | Per Cisco advisory for CVE-2025-20333 (see references; not enumerated in this repository) |
| Language / Platform | Python 3 scanner against a network appliance’s HTTPS WebVPN interface |
| Authentication Required | Usually required for full exploitation (often chained with the CVE-2025-20362 authentication bypass); this scanner itself performs unauthenticated reconnaissance only |
| Network Access Required | Yes |
Summary
CVE-2025-20333 is a critical heap-based buffer overflow in the WebVPN file-upload handler of Cisco Secure ASA and FTD devices, which can lead to remote code execution as root when successfully exploited (typically after first bypassing authentication via the related CVE-2025-20362). This repository provides a non-destructive, detection-only scanner: it performs safe GET requests against the known vulnerable file-handling endpoints (+CSCOE+/files/file_action.html, file_list.html, file.php) combined with common path-normalization/traversal bypass patterns, and reports which endpoints are reachable and exhibit indicators consistent with the vulnerable handler, without sending any exploit payload.
Vulnerability Details
Root Cause
The underlying flaw is a heap buffer overflow (CWE-120) in how the WebVPN file-upload/file-handling component parses attacker-supplied file operations; the scanner does not trigger the overflow itself but targets exactly the endpoints where it lives:
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Reachability of these paths (optionally via normalization-bypass variants that may evade upstream ACLs/proxies) combined with response content matching known keywords (upload, file, action, mode=, path=, webvpn) is used as a proxy signal for exposure to the vulnerable code path.
Attack Vector
- Scanner sends safe
GETrequests to each key WebVPN file-handler path, combined with each bypass/normalization pattern, against the target HTTPS endpoint. - Response status code, length, and content are inspected for indicators that the file-handling endpoint is live and reachable (rather than blocked/404).
- If reachable endpoints are found, the tool flags the target as exposed to the CVE-2025-20333 attack surface; actual exploitation (achieving the heap overflow and RCE as root, typically requiring authentication bypass via CVE-2025-20362 first) is out of scope for this scanner.
Impact
As documented (not directly demonstrated by this non-destructive scanner): successful exploitation of the underlying heap buffer overflow yields remote code execution as root on the Cisco ASA/FTD appliance.
Environment / Lab Setup
Target: Cisco Secure ASA / FTD appliance with WebVPN/AnyConnect enabled, reachable
over HTTPS
Attacker: Python 3 (see repository for exact dependency list; uses requests/urllib3)
Proof of Concept
PoC Script
See
CVE-2025-20333-Scanner.pyin this folder.
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Detection & Indicators of Compromise
GET /+CSCOE+/files/file_action.html HTTP/1.1
GET /+CSCOE+/files/file_list.html HTTP/1.1
GET /+CSCOE+/file.php HTTP/1.1
GET /+CSCOE+/files/file_action.html/.. HTTP/1.1
GET /%2bCSCOE%2b/../%2bCSCOE%2b/files/file_action.html HTTP/1.1
Signs of compromise:
- WebVPN interface crashes, restarts, or core dumps around file-upload/file-handler requests
- Unusual outbound connections or new local accounts/processes originating from the ASA/FTD management plane
- Requests to
+CSCOE+/files/*endpoints containing unusually large or malformed multipart/file-upload bodies - Presence of path-traversal or URL-encoding bypass patterns (e.g.
..;/,%2bvariants) targeting+CSCOE+paths in web/proxy logs
Remediation
| Action | Detail |
|---|---|
| Primary fix | Apply the Cisco security advisory patch for CVE-2025-20333 (and the related CVE-2025-20362 authentication bypass) per Cisco’s published fixed software releases |
| Interim mitigation | Restrict WebVPN/AnyConnect management interface exposure to trusted networks only; disable WebVPN file-upload features if not required; monitor for crash/restart events on the ASA/FTD WebVPN process |
References
Notes
Mirrored from https://github.com/curtishoughton/Cisco-ASA-CVE-2025-20333-Scanner on 2026-07-06. Functional, non-destructive GET-only scanner testing WebVPN file-handler endpoint reachability relevant to the Cisco ASA/FTD buffer overflow; it is a detection tool, not a weaponized RCE exploit — status marked as PoC accordingly.
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