CVE-2016-4787
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedPulse Connect Secure (PCS) 8.2 before 8.2r1, 8.1 before 8.1r2, 8.0 before 8.0r10, and 7.4 before 7.4r13.4 allow remote attackers to read sensitive system authentication files in an unspecified directory via unknown vectors.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceA path traversal vulnerability in Pulse Connect Secure allows remote unauthenticated attackers to read sensitive system authentication files from unspecified directories. The 'unknown vectors' indicates limited public detail on the exact attack method, but the critical severity (CVSS 10) confirms potential for significant system compromise.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 8.0= 8.2= 8.1= 7.4= 8.1r1.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the installed product and versionAccess the admin console or check system information for Pulse Connect Secure or Ivanti Connect Secure version. Typically found in the admin UI under 'System > Status' or by reviewing the installed package version.Affected if The installed version is 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, or 8.1r1.0 (or 8.2)
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Determine if the admin web interface is enabled and accessibleCheck whether the Pulse Connect Secure web admin interface (typically on ports 443, 4433, or 8080) is enabled and accessible. This is the primary attack surface for path traversal exploitation.Affected if The admin or web interface is enabled and network-accessible (especially from untrusted networks)
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Verify if the system is directly internet-facingReview network configuration to determine if the Pulse Connect Secure web services are exposed to the internet or untrusted networks. Check firewall rules and reverse proxy configurations.Affected if The web interface is exposed directly to the internet without proper network segmentation or additional authentication layers
If the installed Pulse Connect Secure or Ivanti Connect Secure version matches 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.1r1.0, or 8.2 and the admin web interface is network-accessible, the environment is likely affected by this path traversal vulnerability.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scopedApply vendor-supplied patches: upgrade to PCS 8.2r1, 8.1r2, 8.0r10, 7.4r13.4 or later versions to remediate the vulnerability.
Minimum fixed releases: PCS 8.2r1 or later; PCS 8.1r2 or later; PCS 8.0r10 or later; PCS 7.4r13.4 or later
- 1. Identify the currently installed Pulse Connect Secure version via the admin web interface (System > Status) or CLI (show version)
- 2. Download the appropriate signed upgrade image from the Pulse Secure customer support portal (kb.pulsesecure.net) for your platform
- 3. Navigate to System > Maintenance > System Upgrade in the admin web interface
- 4. Upload the upgrade image file and verify the integrity checksum if provided
- 5. Initiate the upgrade and allow the system to reboot automatically
- 6. After reboot, verify the new version matches the target fixed release (8.2r1+, 8.1r2+, 8.0r10+, or 7.4r13.4+)
- 7. Confirm the vulnerability is resolved by reviewing system logs for any unauthorized access attempts
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-4787 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-4787 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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