dbcve.org
Clearpass Policy ManagerApplication · Arubanetworks

CVE-2021-40989

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-10-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.8.9 / 6.9.7 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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 local escalation of privilege vulnerability was discovered in Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager version(s): ClearPass Policy Manager 6.10.x prior to 6.10.2 - - ClearPass Policy Manager 6.9.x prior to 6.9.7-HF1 - - ClearPass Policy Manager 6.8.x prior to 6.8.9-HF1. Aruba has released patches for 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

A local privilege escalation vulnerability exists in Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager versions 6.10.x prior to 6.10.2, 6.9.x prior to 6.9.7-HF1, and 6.8.x prior to 6.8.9-HF1. An attacker with local access to the system can exploit this to elevate privileges to higher permission levels.

MitigationApply the available patches: upgrade to ClearPass Policy Manager 6.10.2, 6.9.7-HF1, or 6.8.9-HF1 as appropriate for your current version branch.

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
Clearpass Policy ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 6.8.0, < 6.8.9>= 6.9.0, < 6.9.7>= 6.10.0, < 6.10.2= 6.8.9= 6.9.7

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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. Identify if Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager is installed
    Locate the ClearPass Policy Manager installation on the system. Check for the presence of ClearPass-related directories, services, or the product typically installed under /opt or similar installation paths on the host.
    Affected if ClearPass Policy Manager is present on the system
  2. Determine the installed version of ClearPass Policy Manager
    Retrieve the installed version number. This can typically be done via the ClearPass CLI using 'show version' or 'appversion' command, or by checking version files in the installation directory if you have filesystem access.
    Affected if The installed version falls within 6.8.0 to 6.8.9 (inclusive), 6.9.0 to 6.9.7 (inclusive), or 6.10.0 to 6.10.2 (exclusive of 6.10.2)
  3. Verify the exact patch level
    Confirm whether the installed version is one of the fixed releases: 6.8.9-HF1, 6.9.7-HF1, or 6.10.2. Check the full version string including any HF (hotfix) suffixes.
    Affected if The version is NOT 6.8.9-HF1, NOT 6.9.7-HF1, and NOT 6.10.2 (these are the patched versions)
  4. Assess local access exposure
    Evaluate whether untrusted local users or attackers could gain access to the system console or command line interface of the ClearPass server.
    Affected if Local untrusted users have or could obtain command line access to the ClearPass server

You are affected if ClearPass Policy Manager is installed with a version in the ranges 6.8.0 through 6.8.9, 6.9.0 through 6.9.7, or 6.10.0 through 6.10.1, and untrusted local users can access the system.

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 6.8.9 / 6.9.7 / 6.10.2 or later
Fixed in 6.8.96.9.76.10.2
Interim mitigation

Apply the available patches: upgrade to ClearPass Policy Manager 6.10.2, 6.9.7-HF1, or 6.8.9-HF1 as appropriate for your current version branch.

Recommended fix High confidence

ClearPass Policy Manager 6.10.2+ (or 6.9.7-HF1+, or 6.8.9-HF1+ depending on your major version branch)

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed ClearPass Policy Manager version using the WebUI (Dashboard > Overview) or CLI (show version)
  2. 2. For version 6.8.x: Upgrade to ClearPass Policy Manager 6.8.9-HF1 or later
  3. 3. For version 6.9.x: Upgrade to ClearPass Policy Manager 6.9.7-HF1 or later
  4. 4. For version 6.10.x: Upgrade to ClearPass Policy Manager 6.10.2 or later
  5. 5. Download the appropriate upgrade image from the Aruba support portal (https://asp.arubanetworks.com)
  6. 6. Back up the current configuration via ClearPass WebUI (Administration > Server Manager > Server Configuration > Backup)
  7. 7. Upload and install the upgrade following Aruba's upgrade documentation
  8. 8. After upgrade, verify the version and ensure ClearPass services are running normally
Caveat Always review Aruba's upgrade guide and release notes for any configuration migration requirements or compatibility considerations before upgrading

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

Fix this in Clearpass Policy Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2021-40989 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