CVE-2020-3164: Cisco ESA, Cisco WSA, and Cisco SMA GUI Denial of Service Vulnerability

Published Mar 4, 2020
·
Updated

A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco AsyncOS for Cisco Email Security Appliance (ESA), Cisco Web Security Appliance (WSA), and Cisco Content Security Management Appliance (SMA) could allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to cause high CPU usage on an affected device, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to improper validation of specific HTTP request headers. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a malformed HTTP request to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to trigger a prolonged status of high CPU utilization relative to the GUI process(es). Upon successful exploitation of this vulnerability, an affected device will still be operative, but its response time and overall performance may be degraded.

Affected Software

4 affected components
Cisco Cloud Email Security<=13.0.0-392
Cisco Content Security Management Appliance<13.6.0
Cisco Email Security Appliance<=13.0.0-392
Cisco Web Security Appliance<=12.0.1-268

Event History

Mar 4, 2020
CVE Published
via MITRE·06:40 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·06:40 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Data Sourced
via NVD·07:15 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
Free Weekly Intel

Don't miss critical vulnerabilities

Join thousands of security professionals who receive our weekly digest of trending CVEs, zero-days, and exploited vulnerabilities.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is CVE-2020-3164?

CVE-2020-3164 is a vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco AsyncOS for Cisco Email Security Appliance (ESA), Cisco Web Security Appliance (WSA), and Cisco Content Security Management Appliance (SMA) that could allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to cause high CPU usage on an affected device.

2

What software is affected by CVE-2020-3164?

Cisco Cloud Email Security, Cisco Content Security Management Appliance, Cisco Email Security Appliance, and Cisco Web Security Appliance are affected by CVE-2020-3164.

3

How does CVE-2020-3164 impact the affected devices?

CVE-2020-3164 could cause high CPU usage on the affected devices.

4

What is the severity of CVE-2020-3164?

CVE-2020-3164 has a severity score of 5.3, which is considered medium.

5

How can the CVE-2020-3164 vulnerability be fixed?

To fix CVE-2020-3164, Cisco recommends upgrading to the fixed software versions mentioned in the Cisco Security Advisory.

Contact

SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
132 Wickham Terrace
Fortitude Valley,
QLD 4006, Australia
info@secalerts.co
By using SecAlerts services, you agree to our services end-user license agreement. This website is safeguarded by reCAPTCHA and governed by the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. All names, logos, and brands of products are owned by their respective owners, and any usage of these names, logos, and brands for identification purposes only does not imply endorsement. If you possess any content that requires removal, please get in touch with us.
© 2026 SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
ABN: 70 645 966 203, ACN: 645 966 203