CVE-2023-20031

/// Technical description

A vulnerability in the SSL/TLS certificate handling of Snort 3 Detection Engine integration with Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause the Snort 3 detection engine to restart. This vulnerability is due to a logic error that occurs when an SSL/TLS certificate that is under load is accessed when it is initiating an SSL connection. Under specific, time-based constraints, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a high rate of SSL/TLS connection requests to be inspected by the Snort 3 detection engine on an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the Snort 3 detection engine to reload, resulting in either a bypass or a denial of service (DoS) condition, depending on device configuration. The Snort detection engine will restart automatically. No manual intervention is required.

/// Remediation

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

/// References