Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance Software Release 9.16.1 and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense Software Release 7.0.0 IPsec Denial of Service Vulnerability
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2021-1422 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | cisco |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2021-07-16 13:15:08 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-08-11 19:42:47 UTC |
| Description | A vulnerability in the software cryptography module of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker or an unauthenticated attacker in a man-in-the-middle position to cause an unexpected reload of the device that results in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to a logic error in how the software cryptography module handles specific types of decryption errors. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending malicious packets over an established IPsec connection. A successful exploit could cause the device to crash, forcing it to reload. Important: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability would not cause a compromise of any encrypted data. Note: This vulnerability affects only Cisco ASA Software Release 9.16.1 and Cisco FTD Software Release 7.0.0. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v3.1 7.7 HIGH from [email protected]
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H
EPSS: 0.011880000 probability, percentile 0.650680000 (date 2026-08-12)
Problem Types: CWE-617 | CWE-617 CWE-617
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | [email protected] | Primary | 7.7 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H |
| 3.1 | [email protected] | Secondary | 7.7 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H |
| 3.1 | CNA | DECLARED | 7.7 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H |
| 2.0 | [email protected] | Primary | 6.8 | AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:N/I:N/A:C |
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
NetworkAttack Complexity
LowPrivileges Required
LowUser Interaction
NoneScope
ChangedConfidentiality
NoneIntegrity
NoneAvailability
HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H
CVSS v2.0 Breakdown
Access Vector
NetworkAccess Complexity
LowAuthentication
SingleConfidentiality
NoneIntegrity
NoneAvailability
CompleteAV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:N/I:N/A:C
NVD Known Affected Configurations (CPE 2.3)
| Type | Vendor | Product | Version | Update | Edition | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Cisco | Adaptive Security Appliance Software | 9.16.1 | All | All | All |
| Application | Cisco | Adaptive Security Virtual Appliance | - | All | All | All |
| Hardware | Cisco | Firepower 2100 | - | All | All | All |
| Hardware | Cisco | Firepower 2110 | - | All | All | All |
| Hardware | Cisco | Firepower 2120 | - | All | All | All |
| Hardware | Cisco | Firepower 2130 | - | All | All | All |
| Hardware | Cisco | Firepower 2140 | - | All | All | All |
| Hardware | Cisco | Ftd Virtual | - | All | All | All |
| Application | Cisco | Secure Firewall Threat Defense | 7.0.0.0 | All | All | All |
Vendor Declared Affected Products
| Source | Vendor | Product | Version | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | Cisco | Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance ASA Software | affected n/a | Not specified |
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance Software Release 9.16.1 and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense Software Release 7.0.0 IPsec Denial of Service Vulnerability | af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 | tools.cisco.com | Vendor Advisory |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
No vendor comments have been submitted for this CVE.
Additional Advisory Data
Exploits
CNA: The Cisco Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) is not aware of any public announcements or malicious use of the vulnerability that is described in this advisory.