CVE-2021-40998
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): 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 confidenceAruba ClearPass Policy Manager versions prior to 6.10.2, 6.9.7-HF1, and 6.8.9-HF1 contain a remote arbitrary command execution vulnerability that allows authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary commands 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.
-
Check ClearPass Policy Manager versionAccess the CLI or web interface and retrieve the product version. From CLI: login and run 'show version' or check /etc/version file if accessible. From web UI: navigate to Administration > About > Copyrights page.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). Versions 6.8.9 and 6.9.7 are also affected (note: the fix versions are 6.8.9-HF1, 6.9.7-HF1, and 6.10.2).
-
Verify management interface accessibilityDetermine if the ClearPass Policy Manager web admin interface (default ports 443, 8080) is exposed to untrusted networks or the internet. Check firewall rules and network segmentation.Affected if The management interface is reachable from untrusted networks without proper network access controls, increasing the risk of credential theft and exploitation.
-
Review administrator accounts for unauthorized or suspicious usersFrom the web UI, navigate to Administration > Users & Roles > Administrators. Review the list for any unknown accounts, accounts with elevated privileges, or recently created admin accounts that were not intentionally provisioned.Affected if Unexpected administrator accounts exist, indicating potential credential compromise or prior unauthorized access.
-
Audit Access Tracker and system logs for command injection patternsFrom the web UI, check Monitoring > Access Tracker and Administration > Support > View Logs. Search for API or CLI commands containing unusual characters (semicolons, pipes, backticks) or suspicious command patterns executed by admin accounts.Affected if Logs show anomalous command patterns or API calls containing command injection payloads that were executed successfully.
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 management interface is accessible to an authenticated attacker who could exploit the command execution vulnerability.
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 the vendor-released patches for ClearPass Policy Manager to upgrade to versions 6.10.2, 6.9.7-HF1, or 6.8.9-HF1 or later as appropriate for the deployed branch.
ClearPass Policy Manager 6.10.2, 6.9.7-HF1, or 6.8.9-HF1 (depending on your current branch)
- 1. Identify the current installed version of ClearPass Policy Manager by accessing the Administration > Server Manager > Server Configuration section.
- 2. Determine which version branch is currently in use (6.8.x, 6.9.x, or 6.10.x).
- 3. For customers on 6.10.x: Upgrade to version 6.10.2 or later.
- 4. For customers on 6.9.x: Upgrade to version 6.9.7-HF1 or later.
- 5. For customers on 6.8.x: Upgrade to version 6.8.9-HF1 or later.
- 6. Download the appropriate upgrade package from the Aruba Support Portal at https://asp.arubanetworks.com/.
- 7. Before upgrading, ensure a complete backup of the ClearPass configuration is performed.
- 8. Apply the upgrade following the standard ClearPass upgrade procedure documented in the Aruba ClearPass Migration and Upgrade Guide.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,736.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-40998 — 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-2021-40998 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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