CVE-2018-0296

HIGH KEV NUCLEI

Cisco ASA & FTD - Unauthenticated DoS & Info Disclosure via HTTP URL

Title source: llm
STIX 2.1

Exploitation Summary

CVE-2018-0296 is actively exploited and listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added November 3, 2021. EIP tracks 8 public exploits from researchers including Angelo Ruwantha, Yassine Aboukir, yassineaboukir, including a Metasploit module auxiliary/scanner/http/cisco_directory_traversal. A Nuclei detection template is also available.

AI-analyzed exploit summary This Metasploit module exploits a path traversal vulnerability (CVE-2018-0296) in Cisco ASA devices to retrieve sensitive system information without authentication. It sends crafted HTTP requests to traverse directories and extract file listings, session data, and usernames.

Description

A vulnerability in the web interface of the Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause an affected device to reload unexpectedly, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. It is also possible on certain software releases that the ASA will not reload, but an attacker could view sensitive system information without authentication by using directory traversal techniques. The vulnerability is due to lack of proper input validation of the HTTP URL. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request to an affected device. An exploit could allow the attacker to cause a DoS condition or unauthenticated disclosure of information. This vulnerability applies to IPv4 and IPv6 HTTP traffic. This vulnerability affects Cisco ASA Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software that is running on the following Cisco products: 3000 Series Industrial Security Appliance (ISA), ASA 1000V Cloud Firewall, ASA 5500 Series Adaptive Security Appliances, ASA 5500-X Series Next-Generation Firewalls, ASA Services Module for Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Switches and Cisco 7600 Series Routers, Adaptive Security Virtual Appliance (ASAv), Firepower 2100 Series Security Appliance, Firepower 4100 Series Security Appliance, Firepower 9300 ASA Security Module, FTD Virtual (FTDv). Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvi16029.

Exploits (8)

exploitdb WORKING POC
by Angelo Ruwantha · rubywebappshardware
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/47220

This Metasploit module exploits a path traversal vulnerability (CVE-2018-0296) in Cisco ASA devices to retrieve sensitive system information without authentication. It sends crafted HTTP requests to traverse directories and extract file listings, session data, and usernames.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) multiple versions
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the target Cisco ASA device
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
exploitdb WORKING POC
by Yassine Aboukir · pythonwebappshardware
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/44956

This exploit leverages a path traversal vulnerability in Cisco ASA and FTD software to retrieve sensitive system information, including directory listings, active sessions, and user details, without authentication. It sends crafted HTTP requests to specific endpoints and parses the responses to extract data.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Cisco ASA Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the vulnerable Cisco ASA/FTD web interface
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 206 stars
by yassineaboukir · infoleak
https://github.com/yassineaboukir/CVE-2018-0296

This is a Python-based exploit for CVE-2018-0296, a path traversal vulnerability in Cisco ASA and FTD software. It allows unauthenticated access to sensitive system information by traversing directories and dumping file contents, active sessions, and usernames.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Cisco ASA Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Target URL with vulnerable Cisco ASA/FTD software
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec SCANNER 106 stars
by milo2012 · infoleak
https://github.com/milo2012/CVE-2018-0296

This Go-based tool checks for the presence of CVE-2018-0296, a directory traversal vulnerability in Cisco ASA devices. It verifies if the target is a Cisco VPN device and attempts to exploit the vulnerability to leak session information.

Classification
Scanner 90%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Cisco ASA Software
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the target Cisco ASA device · Target device must be running a vulnerable version of Cisco ASA Software
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 1 stars
by bhenner1 · infoleak
https://github.com/bhenner1/CVE-2018-0296

This Python script exploits CVE-2018-0296, a path traversal vulnerability in Cisco ASA devices, to retrieve sensitive files from the target system. It checks for vulnerability by sending a crafted request and saves the results to a file.

Classification
Working Poc 90%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Cisco ASA (Adaptive Security Appliance) with vulnerable webvpn configuration
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Target must be a Cisco ASA device with vulnerable webvpn configuration · Network access to the target device
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
gitlab WORKING POC
by The-Real-TechLord · poc
https://gitlab.com/The-Real-TechLord/CVE-2018-0296

The repository contains a functional Python script that exploits CVE-2018-0296, a path traversal vulnerability in Cisco ASA and FTD software, allowing unauthenticated access to sensitive system information. The script automates the retrieval of directory listings, active sessions, and user data via crafted HTTP requests.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Cisco ASA Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the target Cisco ASA/FTD web interface
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 23, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec SCANNER
by qiantu88 · remote
https://github.com/qiantu88/CVE-2018-0296

This Go-based tool scans for CVE-2018-0296, a directory traversal vulnerability in Cisco ASA devices. It checks for the presence of vulnerable endpoints and attempts to enumerate session files.

Classification
Scanner 90%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Cisco ASA (Adaptive Security Appliance) with WebVPN enabled
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the target device · WebVPN interface exposed
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
metasploit WORKING POC
by Michał Bentkowski, Yassine Aboukir, Shelby Pace · rubypoc
https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/auxiliary/scanner/http/cisco_directory_traversal.rb

This Metasploit module exploits a directory traversal vulnerability (CVE-2018-0296) in Cisco ASA and Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) software. It allows an attacker to list files and sessions, including logged-in users, by manipulating paths in the VPN web service.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Cisco ASA and Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) software
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the target device · VPN web service exposed
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →

Nuclei Templates (1)

Cisco ASA - Local File Inclusion
HIGHby organiccrap

References (7)

Core 7
Core References
Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry vdb-entry x_refsource_bid
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/104612
Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry exploit x_refsource_exploit-db
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/44956/
Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry vdb-entry x_refsource_sectrack
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1041076
Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource x_refsource_misc
https://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/advisories/ICSA-18-184-01

Scores

CVSS v3 7.5
EPSS 0.9440
EPSS Percentile 100.0%
Attack Vector NETWORK
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CISA SSVC

Vulnrichment
Exploitation active
Automatable yes
Technical Impact partial

Details

CISA KEV 2021-11-03
VulnCheck KEV 2019-04-17
InTheWild.io 2021-07-23
ENISA EUVD EUVD-2018-1119
CWE
CWE-22 CWE-20
Status published
Products (6)
cisco/adaptive_security_appliance_software 9.1 - 9.1.7.29
cisco/firepower_threat_defense 6.2.3
cisco/firepower_threat_defense 6.2.3-85.02
cisco/firepower_threat_defense 6.2.3-851
cisco/firepower_threat_defense 6.2.3.1
cisco/firepower_threat_defense 6.0 - 6.1.0
Published Jun 07, 2018
KEV Added Nov 03, 2021
Tracked Since Feb 18, 2026