CVE-2021-40992
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 SQL injection 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 · high confidenceSQL injection vulnerability in Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager allows remote attackers to inject malicious SQL queries via unsanitized input parameters in the web interface. Successful exploitation could enable unauthorized database access, data exfiltration, or potential command execution on the underlying system.
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>= 6.8.0, < 6.8.9>= 6.9.0, < 6.9.7>= 6.10.0, < 6.10.2= 6.8.9= 6.9.7CVSS 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 versionLog into the ClearPass CLI or access the web interface and navigate to Administration > Server Manager > Server Information to view the installed version numberAffected if The installed version falls within 6.8.0-6.8.8, 6.8.9, 6.9.0-6.9.6, 6.9.7, or 6.10.0-6.10.1 (versions prior to 6.8.9-HF1, 6.9.7-HF1, or 6.10.2)
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Verify web interface accessibilityDetermine if the ClearPass Policy Manager web interface (HTTPS on port 443 or custom port) is exposed to untrusted networks, including direct internet access or non-VLAN segmentsAffected if The web interface is reachable from untrusted networks without proper network segmentation or firewall controls
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Review web interface access logs for SQL injection patternsInspect ClearPass logs at /var/log/clearpass/access.log or via the web interface under Monitoring > Logs > Access Logs for unusual SQL syntax, quotes, semicolons, or UNION keywords in input parametersAffected if Logs contain suspicious SQL-like patterns in request parameters that may indicate exploitation attempts
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Check for unauthorized database access indicatorsReview database audit logs or ClearPass event logs for unexpected queries, authentication anomalies, or data access from unusual sources or timesAffected if Database or event logs show unauthorized queries, unexpected administrative actions, or data exfiltration patterns
You are affected if your ClearPass Policy Manager version is 6.8.x before 6.8.9-HF1, 6.9.x before 6.9.7-HF1, or 6.10.x before 6.10.2 AND the web interface is accessible to potential 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.
dbcve · scoped6.8.96.9.76.10.2
Apply vendor-supplied patches: upgrade to ClearPass Policy Manager 6.10.2, 6.9.7-HF1, or 6.8.9-HF1 (or later) as appropriate for your current version. Prioritize patching for internet-facing deployments given the remote attack vector and CVSS 7.2 severity.
ClearPass Policy Manager 6.8.9-HF1 (or later), 6.9.7-HF1 (or later), or 6.10.2 (or later) depending on your current major version branch
- 1. Identify the current installed version of ClearPass Policy Manager
- 2. For 6.8.x versions: upgrade to version 6.8.9-HF1 or later
- 3. For 6.9.x versions: upgrade to version 6.9.7-HF1 or later
- 4. For 6.10.x versions: upgrade to version 6.10.2 or later
- 5. Download the appropriate patch from the Aruba support portal and apply following Aruba's official upgrade documentation
- 6. After upgrade, verify the SQL injection vulnerability is resolved by confirming the fixed version is running
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-40992 — 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-2021-40992 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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