Evidence used
- No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
- The selected CVSS metric records a network-reachable, unauthenticated path with no user interaction.
- EPSS is 0.43% for the current model date.
BlackTreeCVE IntelligenceFull vulnerability report · 2026
CVE-2026-20053High confidence
Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense Software Snort 3 Visual Basic for Application Heap Overflow Denial of Service Vulnerability
Cisco · Cisco Cyber Vision
Official source article: Cisco CISCO-SA-FTD-SNORT3-VBAVULS-96UCVVED ↗. Check the applicable product and release in the original source.
5.8MediumCVSS 3.1
Scheduled
Mitigation availableMedium technical severity with no CISA KEV confirmation; remediate through the normal risk-based patch cycle unless local exposure raises the priority.
R
Open reassessment dashboard →Operational reassessment
Published severity in operational context
Published severityMedium→Operational priority:Medium, unchanged from published severity.unchanged
Compensating controls
- Apply the linked authoritative mitigation while planning the permanent fix.
- Restrict the affected network interface to trusted sources where business-safe.
- Monitor vendor guidance and exploitation sources for a material change.
Verification
- Confirm that the asset runs Cisco Cisco Cyber Vision and falls inside the recorded affected range.
- Recheck the vendor advisory before scheduling a change because no verified fixed version is currently retained.
- Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
- Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Medium technical severity with no CISA KEV confirmation; remediate through the normal risk-based patch cycle unless local exposure raises the priority.
Mitigation available01
What, why and how
Multiple Cisco products are affected by a vulnerability in the Snort 3 VBA feature that could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause the Snort 3 Detection Engine to crash. This vulnerability is due to improper range checking when decompressing VBA data, which is user controlled. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted VBA data to the Snort 3 Detection Engine on the targeted device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause an overflow of heap data, which could cause a DoS condition.
What
Multiple Cisco products are affected by a vulnerability in the Snort 3 VBA feature that could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause the Snort 3 Detection Engine to crash. This vulnerability is due to improper range checking when decompressing VBA data, which is user controlled. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted VBA data to the Snort 3 Detection Engine on the targeted device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause an overflow of heap data, which could cause a DoS condition.
Why
A heap overflow condition is a buffer overflow, where the buffer that can be overwritten is allocated in the heap portion of memory, generally meaning that the buffer was allocated using a routine such as malloc().
How
An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may disrupt the affected service.
What
Multiple Cisco products are affected by a vulnerability in the Snort 3 VBA feature that could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause the Snort 3 Detection Engine to crash. This vulnerability is due to improper range checking when decompressing VBA data, which is user controlled. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted VBA data to the Snort 3 Detection Engine on the targeted device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause an overflow of heap data, which could cause a DoS condition.
Why
A heap overflow condition is a buffer overflow, where the buffer that can be overwritten is allocated in the heap portion of memory, generally meaning that the buffer was allocated using a routine such as malloc().
How
An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may disrupt the affected service.
02
Exploit reality and attack path
CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.
Observed exploitation No confirmed evidence
?
Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.
Public PoC / exploit material None recorded
?
Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.
- Likely attack path
- a network path → Heap-based Buffer Overflow → disrupt the affected service
- Attack surface
- Network
- Privileges required
- None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
- Security boundary
- Changed: exploitation can affect a different security authority
- Weakness
?
CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness. - CWE-122 ↗
CWE-122: Heap-based Buffer Overflow. A heap overflow condition is a buffer overflow, where the buffer that can be overwritten is allocated in the heap portion of memory, generally meaning that the buffer was allocated using a routine such as malloc().
- CVSS vector
?
CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity. CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:LCommon Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.
AVNetworkAttack vector: The vulnerable component can be reached over a network.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRNonePrivileges required: The attacker does not need an account or existing privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SChangedScope: The attack can affect a component governed by a different security authority.CNoneConfidentiality impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.INoneIntegrity impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.ALowAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a limited loss.- Post-exploitation / living off the land
- No specific living-off-the-land technique is confirmed in the structured sources. Monitor normal administration tools for activity inconsistent with the affected service's baseline.
03
Patch and workaround
Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.
- Status
?
Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change. - Mitigation available
- Affected
- Cisco Cyber Vision: 3.0.0, 3.0.2, 3.0.3, 3.0.1, 3.1.0, 3.0.4, 3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.2.0, 3.0.5, 3.2.1, 3.0.6, 3.2.2, 3.2.3, 3.2.4, 4.0.0, 4.0.1, 4.0.2, 4.0.3, 4.1.0, 4.1.1, 4.1.2, 4.1.3, 4.1.4, 4.2.0, 4.2.1, 4.1.5, 4.2.2, 4.2.X, 4.2.3, 4.2.4, 4.2.6, 4.1.6, 4.3.0, 4.3.1, 4.3.2, 4.3.3, 4.4.0, 4.4.1, 4.4.2, 4.4.3, 4.1.7, 5.0.0, 5.0.1, 5.0.2, 5.1.0, 5.1.1, 5.1.2, 5.1.3, 5.2.0, 5.2.1, 5.3.0, 5.3.1, 5.3.2
- Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) Software: 7.2.0, 7.2.0.1, 7.2.1, 7.3.0, 7.2.2, 7.2.3, 7.3.1, 7.2.4, 7.2.5, 7.2.4.1, 7.3.1.1, 7.4.0, 7.2.5.1, 7.4.1, 7.2.6, 7.4.1.1, 7.2.7, 7.2.5.2, 7.3.1.2, 7.2.8, 7.6.0, 7.4.2, 7.2.8.1, 7.4.2.1, 7.2.9, 7.7.0, 7.4.2.2, 7.2.10, 7.6.1, 7.4.2.3, 7.6.2, 7.7.10, 7.6.2.1, 7.7.10.1, 7.4.2.4, 7.2.10.2, 7.4.3
- Cisco UTD SNORT IPS Engine Software: 17.12.1a, 17.9.4, 17.12.2, 17.13.1a, 17.12.3, 17.14.1a, 17.12.4, 17.12.3a, 17.15.1a, 17.16.1a, 17.9.5e, 17.12.4a, 17.15.2c, 17.12.4b, 17.15.2a, 17.12.5, 17.17.1, 17.12.5a, 17.15.3a, 17.15.3, 17.12.5b, 17.12.5c, 17.15.4, 17.18.1, 17.18.1a, 17.12.6, 17.15.4c, 17.12.5d, 17.18.2
- Action
- Apply the mitigation in the linked authoritative guidance while planning the vendor's permanent fix.
- Workaround
- A mitigation or workaround reference is available from the source linked below; validate it against the affected product and version.
04
Evidence and provenance
Published 4 Mar 2026 · Last source change 4 Mar 2026, 21:25 UTC · CWE-122 · Heap-based Buffer Overflow
CVE recordCVE.org · 5.2
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
?
The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-9459
Product sourceCNA
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceCNA
NVD statusNVD enriched
Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.
Material change intelligence
View recent updates ↗What changed after publication
- Vendor guidanceAuthoritative vendor guidance changed: added mitigation: sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/cisco-sa-ftd-snort3-vbavuls-96UcVVed; added remediation: sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/cisco-sa-ftd-snort3-vbavuls-96UcVVed.psirt@cisco.com ↗
- Before
- no authoritative guidance recorded
- After
- mitigation: sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/cisco-sa-ftd-snort3-vbavuls-96UcVVed · remediation: sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/cisco-sa-ftd-snort3-vbavuls-96UcVVed
- Remediation statusRemediation status changed from Awaiting fix to Mitigation available.psirt@cisco.com ↗
- Before
- Awaiting fix
- After
- Mitigation available
CVE published
Mitigation reference recorded
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
- CVE
- Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
- CVSS
- Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
- EPSS
- Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
- CWE
- Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
- CNA
- CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
- CISA ADP
- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
- NVD
- National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
- CERT / CSIRT
- A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
- PoC
- Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
- CSAF
- Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
- LoTL
- Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.