Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2019-12695 is a reflected XSS flaw in Cisco ASA and Firepower Threat Defense WebVPN portals. An attacker must convince a user to click a crafted link. If successful, malicious script could run in that user's browser session and expose browser-based information.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate-priority internet-facing VPN issue. It is not reported as actively exploited in the provided evidence, but VPN portals are high-value phishing targets and remediation should be scheduled promptly after affected systems are identified.
Technical view
The flaw is CWE-79 caused by insufficient validation of user-supplied input in the Clientless SSL VPN WebVPN portal. It is remotely reachable without attacker authentication, but requires user interaction. CVSS 3.0 is 6.1 with changed scope, low confidentiality impact, low integrity impact, and no availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most relevant where Cisco ASA or FTD WebVPN portals are enabled and reachable by users. The bundle does not specify exact affected versions or CPEs, so inventory must be checked against Cisco's advisory.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. Exploitation depends on social engineering a WebVPN interface user into opening a crafted link, so phishing and exposed VPN portals increase practical risk.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports a user-interaction XSS in Cisco ASA and FTD WebVPN. The bundle lacks detailed affected version ranges and fix versions; rely on Cisco's advisory for release-specific confirmation. Avoid assuming compromise without phishing evidence or browser-session indicators.
Mitigation direction
- Check Cisco advisory for affected and fixed release guidance.
- Apply Cisco's recommended remediation for each confirmed affected ASA or FTD deployment.
- Reduce unnecessary public exposure of WebVPN portals where operationally possible.
- Warn administrators and VPN users against unsolicited WebVPN links.
Validation and detection
- Inventory ASA and FTD devices with Clientless SSL VPN WebVPN enabled.
- Compare running software releases with Cisco advisory affected-release information.
- Confirm WebVPN portals are not unnecessarily exposed to untrusted networks.
- Review logs and reports for suspicious WebVPN link activity or user complaints.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-79: User-session and phishing behavior lookup
Client-side and session-facing weaknesses should be reviewed alongside initial-access and user-execution behaviors. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2019-12695 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 6.1 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N2.82.7Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
6.1MediumVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- 20191002 Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance and Firepower Threat Defense Software WebVPN Cross-Site Scripting VulnerabilityCVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_CISCO
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.