CVE-2021-26684
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 remote authenticated command injection vulnerability in the ClearPass Policy Manager web-based management interface allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary commands as root on the underlying operating system, leading to complete system compromise. The vulnerability is exploited through the web interface without requiring additional privilege escalation.
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, < 6.9.5CVSS 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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Identify ClearPass Policy Manager installationCheck if ClearPass Policy Manager is installed by looking for the application in the system inventory, or by accessing the web management interface on port 443 or 8080Affected if ClearPass Policy Manager is present and accessible on the network
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Determine the installed versionLog into the ClearPass Policy Manager web interface and navigate to Administration > Server Manager > Server Configuration, or use the CLI command 'show version' to retrieve the exact version numberAffected if The version falls within the affected ranges: <= 6.7.14, >= 6.8.0 but < 6.8.8, or >= 6.9.0 but < 6.9.5
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Check if administrative accounts existReview the list of local administrative users in ClearPass Policy Manager under Administration > User Management > Local UsersAffected if There are any administrative or operator accounts configured (the vulnerability requires an authenticated user)
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Verify web interface exposureDetermine if the ClearPass Policy Manager web interface is accessible from untrusted networks by reviewing firewall rules or network segmentationAffected if The web interface is accessible from outside the trusted administrative network
You are affected if ClearPass Policy Manager is installed with a version in the ranges <= 6.7.14, >= 6.8.0 but < 6.8.8, or >= 6.9.0 but < 6.9.5, and the web interface is accessible to an authenticated user.
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 data6.8.86.9.5
Upgrade ClearPass Policy Manager to version 6.9.5 or later, or apply the appropriate hotfix (6.8.8-HF1 or 6.7.14-HF1) for earlier major versions. Restrict administrative access to trusted personnel and monitor for suspicious administrative activity until the patch is applied.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-26684 — 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-2021-26684 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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