CVE-2021-26680
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 remote authenticated command injection vulnerability was discovered in Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager version(s): Prior to 6.9.5, 6.8.8-HF1, 6.7.14-HF1. A vulnerability in the ClearPass web-based management interface allows remote authenticated users to run arbitrary commands on the underlying host. A successful exploit could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary commands as root on the underlying operating system leading to complete system compromise.
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 confidenceA command injection vulnerability in the Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager web-based management interface allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary OS commands that execute with root privileges on the underlying host, enabling complete 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< 6.7.14>= 6.8.0, < 6.8.8>= 6.9.0, < 6.9.5= 6.7.14= 6.8.8CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm ClearPass Policy Manager is installedAccess the web-based management interface or CLI console of the system. Look for the ClearPass Policy Manager login page or check the system hostname/About page for the product name.Affected if The product Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager is present on the system
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Identify the installed versionLog into the ClearPass Policy Manager web interface. Navigate to Administration > About (or equivalent) to view the exact version number. Alternatively, use the CLI and run: show version or cppm version.Affected if The installed version falls within the affected ranges: < 6.7.14, >= 6.8.0 and < 6.8.8, >= 6.9.0 and < 6.9.5, or equals exactly 6.7.14 or 6.8.8
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Verify the web-based management interface is enabledCheck if the ClearPass Policy Manager web-based management interface (HTTPS on port 443 or 8000 series) is currently accessible and responding.Affected if The web-based management interface is exposed and accessible (the vulnerability requires this interface to be available for authenticated command injection)
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Check network exposure of management interfaceReview firewall rules, network ACLs, or reverse proxy configuration to determine if the management interface is reachable from untrusted networks or the internet.Affected if The management interface is exposed to untrusted networks or the internet rather than being restricted to a trusted administrative segment
You are affected if ClearPass Policy Manager is installed with a version less than 6.7.14-HF1, 6.8.8-HF1, or 6.9.5, AND the web-based management interface is accessible to the attacker (requires valid 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.
From vendor data6.7.146.8.86.9.5
Upgrade to ClearPass Policy Manager version 6.9.5, 6.8.8-HF1, or 6.7.14-HF1 or later. Until patched, restrict access to the management interface to trusted administrators only using network segmentation or VPN.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 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-2021-26680 — 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-2021-26680 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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