Summary

• Multiple vulnerabilities in the access control list (ACL) Object Group Search (OGS) implementation of Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass configured access controls.

  These vulnerabilities are due to a logic error in populating group access control policies (ACPs) with OGS configured. An attacker could exploit these vulnerabilities by sending traffic that should be blocked through the device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to bypass access controls and reach devices in protected networks.

  Cisco has released software updates that address these vulnerabilities. There are no workarounds that address these vulnerabilities.

  This advisory is available at the following link:
  https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-ftd-acl-bypass-8p6vFvw

  This advisory is part of a group of advisories. For a complete list of the advisories and links to them, see Cisco Advance Notification for Publication of September 16, 2026, Security Advisories. In addition, for further documentation of improvements and fixes in Cisco Secure Firewall products, see Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance Software, Secure Firewall Threat Defense Software, and Secure Firewall Management Center Software Hardening Release: September 2026.

Affected Products

• Vulnerable Products

  At the time of publication, these vulnerabilities affected Cisco devices if they were running a vulnerable release of Cisco Secure Firewall ASA Software or Cisco Secure FTD Software and had ACLs with OGS configured.

  For information about which Cisco software releases are vulnerable, see the Fixed Software section of this advisory. 

  Determine the ACL OGS Configuration on a Device That Is Running Cisco Secure FTD Software

  To determine whether a device that is running Cisco Secure FTD Software is configured for ACLs with OGS, use the following steps in Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) Software:

  1. Choose Objects > Object Management.
  2. Choose the object type (for example, Network).
  3. View the object groups that are listed.

  If no object groups are listed, the device is not affected by these vulnerabilities.

  Determine the ACL OGS Configuration on a Device That Is Running Cisco Secure Firewall ASA Software

  To determine whether a device that is running Cisco Secure Firewall ASA Software is configured for ACPs with OGS, use the CLI command show running-config object-group-search, as shown in the following example:

  ciscoasa# show running-config object-group-search
  object-group-search access-control

  If the output returns no listed object groups, the device is not affected by these vulnerabilities.

  Products Confirmed Not Vulnerable

  Only products listed in the Vulnerable Products section of this advisory are known to be affected by these vulnerabilities.

  Cisco has confirmed that these vulnerabilities do not affect Cisco Secure FMC Software.

Details

• Exploitation of these vulnerabilities could allow an attacker to bypass protections that are provided by an ACL that is applied on an affected device. The overall impact of exploitation is organization-specific because it depends on the importance of the assets that the ACL was supposed to protect. Customers should evaluate how exploitation of these vulnerabilities would impact their network and proceed according to their own vulnerability-handling and remediation processes.

Workarounds

• There are no workarounds that address these vulnerabilities.

Fixed Software

• Cisco considers any workarounds and mitigations (if applicable) to be temporary solutions until an upgrade to a fixed software release is available. To remediate these vulnerabilities and avoid future exposure as described in this advisory, Cisco strongly recommends that customers upgrade to the fixed software indicated in this advisory.

  Cisco Secure Firewall ASA, Secure FMC, and Secure FTD Software

  To help customers determine their exposure to vulnerabilities in Cisco Secure Firewall ASA, Secure FMC, and Secure FTD Software, Cisco provides the Cisco Software Checker. This tool identifies any Cisco security advisories that impact a specific software release and the earliest release that fixes the vulnerabilities that are described in each advisory (“First Fixed”). If applicable, the tool also returns the earliest release that fixes all the vulnerabilities that are described in all the advisories that the Software Checker identifies (“Combined First Fixed”).

  To use the tool, go to the Cisco Software Checker page and follow the instructions. Alternatively, use the following form to search for vulnerabilities that affect a specific software release. To use the form, follow these steps:

  1. Choose which advisories the tool will search—all advisories, only advisories with a Critical or High Security Impact Rating (SIR), or only this advisory.
  2. Choose the appropriate software.
  3. Choose the appropriate platform.
  4. Enter a release number—for example, 9.20.3.4 for Cisco Secure Firewall ASA Software or 7.4.2 for Cisco Secure FTD Software.
  5. Click Check.

  Only this advisory All Critical and High advisories All advisories Cisco ASA Software Cisco FMC Software Cisco FTD Software Any Platform 3000 Series Industrial Security Appliances (ISA) ASA 5500-X Series Firewalls ASA Service Module Adaptive Security Virtual Appliance (ASAv) Firepower 1000 Series Firepower 2100 Series Firepower 4100 Series Firepower 9000 Series Secure Firewall 1200 Series Secure Firewall 3100 Series Secure Firewall 4200 Series

   

  For instructions on upgrading a Cisco Secure FTD device, see the appropriate Cisco Secure FMC upgrade guide.

  Additional Resources

  For help determining the best Cisco Secure Firewall ASA, Secure FMC, or Secure FTD Software release, see the following Recommended Releases documents. If a security advisory recommends a later release, Cisco recommends following the advisory guidance.

  Cisco Secure Firewall ASA Compatibility
  Cisco Secure Firewall ASA Upgrade Guide
  Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense Compatibility Guide

Exploitation and Public Announcements

• The Cisco Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) is not aware of any public announcements or malicious use of the vulnerabilities that are described in this advisory.

Source

• These vulnerabilities were found during the resolution of a Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) support case.

URL

• https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-ftd-acl-bypass-8p6vFvw

Revision History

• Version	Description	Section	Status	Date
  1.0	Initial public release.	—	Final	2026-SEP-16

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