CVE-2018-20810
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 · uneditedSession data between cluster nodes during cluster synchronization is not properly encrypted in Pulse Secure Pulse Connect Secure (PCS) 8.3RX before 8.3R2 and Pulse Policy Secure (PPS) 5.4RX before 5.4R2. This is not applicable to PCS 8.1RX, PPS 5.2RX, or stand-alone devices.
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 · high confidenceIn Pulse Connect Secure 8.3RX before 8.3R2 and Pulse Policy Secure 5.4RX before 5.4R2, session data transmitted between cluster nodes during cluster synchronization is transmitted without proper encryption, allowing potential interception or exposure of sensitive session information.
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= 8.3= 5.4CVSS 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
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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.
-
Identify the installed productLog into the admin console or check system documentation to confirm whether the system is running Pulse Connect Secure (PCS) or Pulse Policy Secure (PPS)Affected if The product is Ivanti Connect Secure or Pulsesecure Pulse Policy Secure
-
Check the installed versionView the system version information in the admin console under System > Status or use the CLI command to display the firmware versionAffected if The version is 8.3.x before 8.3R2 for Connect Secure, or 5.4.x before 5.4R2 for Policy Secure
-
Determine if clustering is enabledCheck the cluster configuration in the admin console under System > Cluster Status or examine the network configuration to verify if the device is part of a cluster setupAffected if Clustering is enabled and the device is synchronized with other nodes in the cluster
-
Verify cluster synchronization is in useReview the cluster synchronization settings to confirm that session data synchronization between nodes is activeAffected if Session synchronization between cluster nodes is configured and operational
The environment is affected only if running a vulnerable version (8.3 through 8.3R1 for PCS, or 5.4 through 5.4R1 for PPS) AND clustering is enabled with active node synchronization.
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 · scopedUpgrade to PCS 8.3R2 or PPS 5.4R2 (or later) to remediate this vulnerability. Stand-alone deployments are not affected.
PCS 8.3R2 or later; PPS 5.4R2 or later
- Identify whether you are running Pulse Connect Secure (PCS) or Pulse Policy Secure (PPS)
- Determine the current installed version using the admin console or command line
- Backup the current device configuration before making changes
- For PCS 8.3RX: upgrade to Pulse Connect Secure 8.3R2 or later
- For PPS 5.4RX: upgrade to Pulse Policy Secure 5.4R2 or later
- After upgrade, verify the new version is running and cluster synchronization is functioning properly
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-20810 — 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-2018-20810 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data