Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a cross-site scripting issue in Cisco ASA and FTD web services interfaces. An attacker would need to convince a user of the interface to open a crafted link. Successful exploitation could run script in that user's browser context or access sensitive browser-based information.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate-priority remediation item for firewall and security appliance administration surfaces. It is not documented as actively exploited in the provided sources, but affected edge-security management interfaces should still be patched through normal maintenance windows.
Technical view
CVE-2021-1444 is CWE-79 caused by insufficient validation of user-supplied input in the web services interface. CVSS 3.1 is 6.1 with network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges, required user interaction, changed scope, and low confidentiality and integrity impact.
Likely exposure
Organizations running affected Cisco ASA or FTD Software with users who access the web services interface may be exposed. The provided affected version list explicitly enumerates Cisco ASA versions; exact FTD version exposure should be confirmed against Cisco's advisory.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or other evidence of active exploitation. Exploitation requires social engineering a legitimate interface user into clicking a crafted link, so risk depends on administrative interface use and user targeting.
Researcher notes
Key constraints are user interaction and interface context. The bundle confirms Cisco updates and no workaround, but does not provide full affected FTD version details. Avoid assuming exploitation in the wild without KEV or another cited source.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade affected Cisco ASA and FTD Software to Cisco fixed releases identified in the vendor advisory.
- Do not rely on workarounds; Cisco states none address this vulnerability.
- Check Cisco guidance for exact affected and fixed releases before scheduling remediation.
- Prioritize systems whose web services interface is reachable by administrators from less controlled networks.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Cisco ASA and FTD Software versions in use.
- Compare discovered versions against the Cisco advisory's affected and fixed release information.
- Confirm whether the web services interface is enabled and used by administrators.
- Review browser and administrative access logs for suspicious link-driven interface sessions.
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-2021-1444 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 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/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:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N2.82.7Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.1MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- cisco-sa-asaftd-xss-webui-gQLSFyPMCVE reference
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.