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Vulnerability record · public intelligence
CVE-2021-40117
HIGH

Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance Software and Firepower Threat Defense Software SSL/TLS Denial of Service Vulnerability

Published Oct 27, 2021 · Updated Nov 3, 2026

Severity · CVSSHIGH · Not scored
Known exploitationNot listed
EPSS / likelihood1.73%
QFinch risk scoreNot available

Original summary

Normalized public record · Updated Nov 3, 2026

Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance Software and Firepower Threat Defense Software SSL/TLS Denial of Service Vulnerability

Publisher and source text is retained separately from QFinch interpretation.

QFinch assessment

A vulnerability in SSL/TLS message handler for Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. This vulnerability exists because incoming SSL/TLS packets are not properly processed. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted SSL/TLS packet to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the affected device to reload, resulting in a DoS condition.

Evidence: public source records

Affected products

Affected scope reported by the available public evidence
Affected package, product or rangeFix status
Consult the referenced vendor advisory for affected versions.Consult source advisory

Matching a version is only one part of assessing exposure. QFinch has not assessed your environment on this public page.

Remediation

Apply the vendor-supported fixed release or mitigation, then verify the affected component is no longer reachable.

  1. Confirm the affected product and reachable code path exist in your environment.
  2. Apply the vendor-supported patch or mitigation from the primary advisory.
  3. Rescan the exact deployed revision and retain verification evidence.
Review primary references

Evidence coverage

FIRST-EPSSCVE-LIST-V5
SSVC priority
MEDIUM
Confidence
Not available
Aliases
None reported

Scores appear only when corresponding evidence exists. Missing data is never interpreted as zero risk.

Sources and record history

  1. 20211027 Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance Software and Firepower Threat Defense Software SSL/TLS Denial of Service Vulnerability ↗

Record history

Published Oct 27, 2021 · Last refreshed Nov 3, 2026