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CVE-2019-1978: A vulnerability in the stream reassembly component of Cisco Firepower Threat Defense Software, Cisco FirePOWER

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This week
MEDIUM 5.8REMOTEMITIGATEUPGRADEMITIGATE

CVE-2019-1978 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 5.8) affecting firepower services software for asa, secure firewall management center, secure firewall threat defense. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

A vulnerability in the stream reassembly component of Cisco Firepower Threat Defense Software, Cisco FirePOWER Services Software for ASA, and Cisco Firepower Management Center Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass filtering protections. The vulnerability is due to improper reassembly of traffic streams. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted streams through an affected device. An exploit could

Why this priority

  • EPSS top 5%: very likely to be exploited
  • Public exploit reference
  • Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score5.8 (Medium)
Attack vectorNetwork (remote)
Attack complexityLow
Privileges neededNone
User interactionNone
EPSS exploit chance9.4% (top 5%)
CISA exploited listNo
WeaknessCWE-264, CWE-20
Published2019-11-05
Last modified2026-08-11
Publisher (CNA): Cisco Systems, Inc. · Vendor: cisco

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Last updated 2026-08-11 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

cisco firepower services software for asa MITIGATE
Affected: all versions
Fixed in: no fixed release known
Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release
1. Check installed version
apt-cache policy firepower-services-software-for-asa || rpm -q firepower-services-software-for-asa || firepower-services-software-for-asa --version
No fixed or unaffected release known
Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory, disable the affected feature, or restrict network access.
cisco secure firewall management center UPGRADE
Affected: >= 2.9.12 and <= 2.9.12.15 · >= 2.9.13 and <= 2.9.13.6 · >= 2.9.14.0 and <= 2.9.14.5 · 2.9.15 · 2.9.16
Fixed in: newer than 2.9.14.5
Safe to downgrade to: a release before 2.9.12
1. Check installed version
apt-cache policy secure-firewall-management-center || rpm -q secure-firewall-management-center || secure-firewall-management-center --version
2. UPGRADE to newer than 2.9.14.5 (Debian / Ubuntu)
sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade secure-firewall-management-center
2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)
sudo dnf upgrade secure-firewall-management-center
Note
Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.
3. If no update is available yet, DOWNGRADE to a release before 2.9.12 (Debian / Ubuntu)
apt-cache madison secure-firewall-management-center sudo apt install secure-firewall-management-center=<VERSION_BEFORE_2.9.12> sudo apt-mark hold secure-firewall-management-center
3. If no update is available yet, DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)
dnf --showduplicates list secure-firewall-management-center sudo dnf downgrade secure-firewall-management-center-<VERSION_BEFORE_2.9.12> sudo dnf versionlock add secure-firewall-management-center
Downgrade risk
Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.
After downgrade
Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.
cisco secure firewall threat defense MITIGATE
Affected: all versions
Fixed in: no fixed release known
Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release
1. Check installed version
apt-cache policy secure-firewall-threat-defense || rpm -q secure-firewall-threat-defense || secure-firewall-threat-defense --version
No fixed or unaffected release known
Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory, disable the affected feature, or restrict network access.

Public exploits and detection

Public code exists for this CVE. Treat unpatched systems as at risk, and only run PoCs in a lab.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2019-1978?

firepower services software for asa: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation; secure firewall management center: upgrade to newer than 2.9.14.5; secure firewall threat defense: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2019-1978 being exploited?

CVE-2019-1978 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2019-1978 affect?

CVE-2019-1978 affects firepower services software for asa, secure firewall management center, secure firewall threat defense. Severity is medium (CVSS 5.8). A vulnerability in the stream reassembly component of Cisco Firepower Threat Defense Software, Cisco FirePOWER Services Software for ASA, and Cisco Firepower Management Center Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypa

How urgent is CVE-2019-1978?

Priority 54/100. EPSS top 5%: very likely to be exploited; Public exploit reference; Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

Software pages

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References

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