CVE-2021-34616
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 arbitrary command execution vulnerability was discovered in Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager version(s): Prior to 6.10.0, 6.9.6 and 6.8.9. Aruba has released updates to 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 confidenceArbitrary command execution vulnerability in Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager allows remote attackers to execute OS commands on affected systems. The vulnerability exists in versions prior to 6.10.0, 6.9.6, and 6.8.9, potentially allowing complete system compromise with the privileges of the affected service.
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>= 6.6.0, <= 6.6.10>= 6.7.0, <= 6.7.14>= 6.8.0, < 6.8.9>= 6.9.0, < 6.9.6CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
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 version via CLIAccess the ClearPass CLI and run the command: show version or cat /etc/version to retrieve the installed software versionAffected if The displayed version falls within any of these ranges: 6.6.0 through 6.6.10, 6.7.0 through 6.7.14, 6.8.0 through 6.8.8, or 6.9.0 through 6.9.5
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Verify version via web interfaceLog into the ClearPass Policy Manager web administration portal and navigate to Administration > Server Manager > Server Configuration. The version is displayed on the main dashboard or server information pageAffected if The reported version is 6.9.5 or earlier, 6.8.8 or earlier, 6.7.14 or earlier, or 6.6.10 or earlier
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Confirm management interface accessibilityCheck network configuration to determine if the ClearPass management interface (typically ports 443 or 80) is reachable from untrusted networks. Use netstat or review firewall rules: show interface and show ip interface on the CLIAffected if The management interface is exposed to the internet or untrusted internal networks, allowing remote attackers to reach the vulnerable component
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Review system logs for suspicious command executionExamine ClearPass logs under /var/log/ for unusual entries, particularly in aruba.log, audit.log, or system.log. Look for unexpected commands or API calls originating from the management interfaceAffected if Logs contain evidence of unauthorized command execution, unusual API calls, or commands spawned from management interface sessions you do not recognize
You are affected if your ClearPass Policy Manager version is 6.9.5 or earlier, 6.8.8 or earlier, 6.7.14 or earlier, or 6.6.10 or earlier, and the management interface is network-accessible to attackers.
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 data6.8.96.9.6
Upgrade Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager to version 6.10.0, 6.9.6, or 6.8.9 (or later) as provided by Aruba's security advisories. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to the management interface and monitor for indicators of compromise.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-34616 — 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-2021-34616 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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