dbcve.org
ClearpassApplication · Arubanetworks

CVE-2021-29145

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-04-29
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.7.14 / 6.8.6 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 remote server side request forgery (SSRF) remote code execution vulnerability was discovered in Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager version(s) prior to 6.9.5, 6.8.9, 6.7.14-HF1. Aruba has released patches for Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager that address this security vulnerability.

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 confidence

Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager contains a Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability that can be exploited to achieve remote code execution. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable without authentication, allowing an attacker to make the server perform arbitrary requests and potentially execute arbitrary commands.

MitigationApply the vendor-released patches for ClearPass Policy Manager: upgrade to version 6.9.5 or later, 6.8.9 or later, or 6.7.14-HF1 or later. Restrict network access to the management interface and monitor for unusual outbound requests.

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
ClearpassApplication
Affected:>= 6.7.0, < 6.7.14>= 6.8.0, < 6.8.6>= 6.9.0, < 6.9.1

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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. Determine ClearPass Policy Manager version
    Access the ClearPass Policy Manager admin interface and navigate to Administration > About, or check the version via CLI using 'show version' command
    Affected if The displayed version falls within any of these ranges: 6.7.0 through 6.7.13, 6.8.0 through 6.8.5, or 6.9.0
  2. Compare against affected version ranges
    Compare your installed version number to the affected ranges: 6.7.x versions below 6.7.14, 6.8.x versions below 6.8.6, and 6.9.x versions below 6.9.1
    Affected if The installed version is less than 6.7.14, less than 6.8.6, or less than 6.9.1 (but greater than or equal to 6.7.0, 6.8.0, or 6.9.0 respectively)
  3. Verify management interface network exposure
    Check network configuration to determine if the ClearPass Policy Manager management interface (default ports 443/8443) is accessible from untrusted networks or the internet
    Affected if The management interface is exposed to the internet or untrusted networks without proper firewall restrictions
  4. Review outbound network traffic logs
    Inspect firewall, proxy, or network logs for unusual or unexpected outbound requests originating from the ClearPass server, particularly to internal resources or suspicious external destinations
    Affected if There are outbound requests that were not initiated by legitimate administrative actions

Your environment is affected if ClearPass Policy Manager version is 6.7.0-6.7.13, 6.8.0-6.8.5, or 6.9.0 and the management interface is network-accessible to potential attackers.

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 6.7.14 / 6.8.6 / 6.9.1 or later
Fixed in 6.7.146.8.66.9.1
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-released patches for ClearPass Policy Manager: upgrade to version 6.9.5 or later, 6.8.9 or later, or 6.7.14-HF1 or later. Restrict network access to the management interface and monitor for unusual outbound requests.

Recommended fix High confidence

6.7.14-HF1 (for 6.7.x), 6.8.9 (for 6.8.x), or 6.9.5 (for 6.9.x) - or later versions if available

  1. Identify current Clearpass Policy Manager version via the CLI command: show version or via the WebUI dashboard
  2. For versions 6.7.x: Upgrade to version 6.7.14-HF1 or later
  3. For versions 6.8.x: Upgrade to version 6.8.9 or later
  4. For versions 6.9.x: Upgrade to version 6.9.5 or later
  5. Download the appropriate upgrade image from the Aruba support portal (https://asp.arubanetworks.com)
  6. Upload the upgrade image via the ClearPass WebUI: Administration > Server Manager > Server Configuration > Server > Install Upgrade
  7. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the upgrade process
  8. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version with: show version
Caveat Review Aruba upgrade guide for prerequisites and ensure backup is performed before upgrading; some upgrades may require specific upgrade paths between major versions

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

Fix this in Clearpass Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,800
Get the upgrade done

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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-2021-29145 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