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Connect SecureApplication · Ivanti

CVE-2021-22936

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-08-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.1 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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 a threat actor to perform a cross-site script attack against an authenticated administrator via an unsanitized web parameter.

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 stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability exists in Pulse Connect Secure versions prior to 9.1R12. The flaw allows a remote authenticated attacker to inject malicious JavaScript code through an unsanitized web parameter, which then executes in the context of an administrator's session when viewed.

MitigationUpgrade Pulse Connect Secure to version 9.1R12 or later to obtain the patch. Additionally, implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers and validate/sanitize all user inputs as defense-in-depth measures.

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
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

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 and version
    Access the admin web interface and check the system information page, or run 'dpkg -l' / 'rpm -qa' on the server to list installed packages containing 'pulse' or 'ivanti' in the name.
    Affected if The product is Pulse Connect Secure with version less than 9.1R12, or Ivanti Connect Secure version 9.1.
  2. Confirm the web administrative interface is enabled
    Verify that the admin web UI (typically on port 443 or 9443) is accessible and running. Check if /admin or /dana-na/auth/ endpoints respond.
    Affected if The administrative web interface is exposed and accessible to authenticated users.
  3. Determine if the system has user authentication enabled
    Review the authentication settings in the admin console under 'Authentication > Authentication Servers' to confirm local or external users can authenticate.
    Affected if Remote authenticated attacker can access the system, as the vulnerability requires an authenticated session.
  4. Check for evidence of the vulnerable parameter handling
    Review web server logs (typically in /var/log/ or through the admin interface logs) for unsanitized web parameter submissions, particularly in admin-facing pages.
    Affected if Logs show unauthenticated or low-privilege user input being reflected without sanitization in admin-accessible areas.

If the installed version is Pulse Connect Secure before 9.1R12 or Ivanti Connect Secure 9.1, and the admin web interface is accessible to authenticated users, the environment is likely affected by this stored XSS vulnerability.

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 to obtain the patch. Additionally, implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers and validate/sanitize all user inputs as defense-in-depth measures.

Recommended fix High confidence

9.1R12 or later stable release

  1. 1. Identify the current installed version of Pulse Connect Secure or Connect Secure by checking the system admin interface or running the appropriate version command
  2. 2. Navigate to the Pulse Secure knowledge base (kb.pulsesecure.net) and locate the download page for Pulse Connect Secure version 9.1R12 or later
  3. 3. Review the release notes for version 9.1R12 to understand any prerequisites, migration considerations, or pre-upgrade requirements
  4. 4. Create a full system backup and snapshot of the current configuration before proceeding with the upgrade
  5. 5. Schedule a maintenance window as upgrades typically require brief system downtime
  6. 6. Download the 9.1R12 (or latest stable) installer from the Pulse Secure support portal
  7. 7. Follow the standard Pulse Connect Secure upgrade procedure documented in the admin guide - usually involves uploading the installer through the admin web interface or CLI
  8. 8. After upgrade completes, verify the system is operational and the new version is installed
Caveat Review release notes for any configuration or feature changes; standard upgrade best practices apply

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
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2021-22936 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