Connect SecureApplication · Ivanti

CVE-2021-22934

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-08-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.1 or later.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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 · unedited
A vulnerability in Pulse Connect Secure before 9.1R12 could allow an authenticated administrator or compromised Pulse Connect Secure device in a load-balanced configuration to perform a buffer overflow via a malicious 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 · high confidence

A buffer overflow vulnerability in Pulse Connect Secure versions prior to 9.1R12 allows an authenticated administrator or a compromised device in a load-balanced configuration to send a maliciously crafted web request that triggers the overflow.

MitigationUpgrade Pulse Connect Secure to version 9.1R12 or later. In load-balanced environments, ensure all nodes are updated simultaneously and monitor for signs of device 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
Connect SecureApplication
Affected:= 9.1
Pulse Connect SecureApplication
Affected:< 9.1

CVSS 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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the installed product
    Locate the product name in the system administration interface or system information page. The product will be listed as either Pulse Connect Secure or Ivanti Connect Secure.
    Affected if The product is Pulse Connect Secure or Ivanti Connect Secure.
  2. Retrieve the installed version
    Access the admin web console or use the system status/diagnostics command to obtain the exact software version number.
    Affected if Version is below 9.1R12 for Pulse Connect Secure, or exactly 9.1 for Ivanti Connect Secure.
  3. Confirm administrator access is enabled
    Check if the administrative web interface (typically on port 443 or 8443) is accessible and enabled on the device.
    Affected if The admin interface is reachable, as an authenticated administrator is required to trigger the overflow.
  4. Check for load-balanced configuration
    Review network configuration or device cluster settings to determine if the system is deployed in a load-balanced setup.
    Affected if The device is part of a load-balanced environment, as a compromised node in such a configuration can trigger the flaw.

A system is affected if it runs Pulse Connect Secure versions prior to 9.1R12 or Ivanti Connect Secure version 9.1, has an accessible admin interface, and either has an authenticated admin session or operates in a load-balanced configuration.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 9.1 or later
Fixed in 9.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Pulse Connect Secure to version 9.1R12 or later. In load-balanced environments, ensure all nodes are updated simultaneously and monitor for signs of device compromise.

Recommended fix High confidence

Pulse Connect Secure 9.1R12 or later

  1. Download Pulse Connect Secure version 9.1R12 or later from the official Pulse Secure support site (kb.pulsesecure.net)
  2. Review the upgrade instructions in the Pulse Connect Secure administration guide
  3. Back up the current device configuration
  4. Perform the upgrade following the documented procedure
  5. Verify the upgrade was successful and the device is functioning properly
Caveat Review release notes for any configuration or compatibility changes before upgrading

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Connect Secure Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,680
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,288.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-22934 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-22934 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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