CVE-2021-22933
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 · uneditedA vulnerability in Pulse Connect Secure before 9.1R12 could allow an authenticated administrator to perform an arbitrary file delete via a maliciously crafted web request.
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 confidenceAn authenticated administrator can exploit a vulnerability in Pulse Connect Secure versions prior to 9.1R12 to delete arbitrary files on the system through a maliciously crafted web request. This likely involves improper path validation allowing directory traversal for file deletion outside intended boundaries.
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= 9.1< 9.1CVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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.
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Identify Pulse Connect Secure or Ivanti Connect Secure installationLocate the installation directory (commonly C:\Program Files\Pulse Connect Secure or /opt/pulse/, or check for the 'Pulse Secure' service on Windows or the /home/runtime/ directory on Linux appliances). Look for the admin web interface typically on port 443/8443.Affected if The software is present on the system
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Determine the installed versionAccess the admin console System > Status page, or check the version file in the installation directory. The version is typically displayed in the login page footer or under System > Maintenance > Version in the web interface.Affected if The version is 9.1 for Ivanti Connect Secure, or any version lower than 9.1 for Pulse Connect Secure (versions prior to 9.1R12)
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Verify admin authentication is requiredConfirm that the vulnerability requires an authenticated administrator session. The web request exploit targets the admin API endpoints.Affected if Administrative accounts exist on the system and the admin web interface is accessible
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Check for directory traversal in file operationsInspect the web server logs (typically under /var/log/pulse/ or in the admin interface logs) for unusual patterns in file deletion requests, particularly requests containing ../ sequences.Affected if Unusual directory traversal patterns appear in logs for file deletion operations
You are affected if Pulse Connect Secure versions below 9.1R12 or Ivanti Connect Secure version 9.1 are installed and the admin web interface is accessible with valid administrator credentials.
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 · scoped9.1
Upgrade to Pulse Connect Secure version 9.1R12 or later. Until the patch is applied, limit administrative access to trusted personnel only and implement file integrity monitoring to detect unauthorized file deletion attempts.
Pulse Connect Secure 9.1R12 or later
- Download Pulse Connect Secure version 9.1R12 or later from the vendor support portal at kb.pulsesecure.net
- Backup the current device configuration before starting the upgrade
- Access the admin console and navigate to the System > Upgrade/Downgrade section
- Upload the firmware image for version 9.1R12 or later
- Initiate the firmware upgrade and wait for completion
- Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the firmware version in the admin interface
- Confirm the path traversal vulnerability is remediated by verifying the fixed version is running
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-22933 — 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-2021-22933 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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