CVE-2022-36981
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 · uneditedThis vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Ivanti Avalanche 6.3.3.101. Although authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability, the existing authentication mechanism can be bypassed. The specific flaw exists within the DeviceLogResource class. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of a user-supplied path prior to using it in file operations. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the service account. Was ZDI-CAN-15966.
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 confidenceA path traversal vulnerability in the DeviceLogResource class of Ivanti Avalanche 6.3.3.101 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by supplying unvalidated paths to file operations. Although authentication is required, the authentication mechanism itself can be bypassed, enabling unauthenticated remote code execution in the context of the service account.
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>= 6.3.3.101, < 6.3.4CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Ivanti Avalanche installation and versionLocate the Avalanche installation directory and check the version file, typically found in the program files folder or via the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wavelink\Avalanche. Common paths: C:\Program Files\Ivanti\Avalanche\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Ivanti\Avalanche\. Look for a version.txt, about dialog, or check the executable properties.Affected if Installed version is 6.3.3.101 or any version >= 6.3.3.101 but < 6.3.4 (e.g., 6.3.3.102, 6.3.3.200, 6.3.3.999)
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Confirm the DeviceLogResource endpoint is presentCheck if the Avalanche web server includes the DeviceLogResource class. This is typically exposed via the Avalanche Management Console web interface. Inspect the deployed WAR files or web application directory for the DeviceLogResource class file.Affected if The DeviceLogResource class file exists in the deployed web application, indicating the vulnerable component is present
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Verify the Avalanche management interface is network-accessibleCheck network configuration to determine if the Avalanche web console (default port 8080 or 443) is bound to external interfaces or is exposed to untrusted networks. Use netstat -an | findstr "8080" or similar to identify listening ports, and review firewall rules.Affected if The Avalanche management interface is listening on 0.0.0.0 or an external IP address rather than only localhost (127.0.0.1)
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Inspect HTTP access logs for path traversal attemptsReview Avalanche HTTP access logs (typically in the logs directory of the installation) for requests to DeviceLogResource with patterns like ../ or path traversal sequences. Search for entries containing patterns such as "..%2F" or "..\\" in URLs.Affected if Log entries show suspicious requests to DeviceLogResource with traversal patterns or unexpected file paths
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Check for unauthorized file creation or modificationExamine the file system directories that the Avalanche service has write access to. Look for unexpected new files, especially in web root directories or system directories that should not be writable by the Avalanche service account.Affected if Files exist in directories outside the expected Avalanche data directories, or new executable files appear in web-accessible paths
You are affected if Ivanti Avalanche is installed with version 6.3.3.101 or higher but below 6.3.4, and the management interface is network-accessible.
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 · scoped6.3.4
Apply the vendor patch for CVE-2022-36981 to address both the path traversal vulnerability and the authentication bypass. If patching is not immediately possible, restrict network access to the Avalanche management interface and monitor for indicators of compromise.
6.3.4 or later
- Download Ivanti Avalanche version 6.3.4 or later from the official vendor source (download.wavelink.com or Ivanti support portal)
- Review the release notes for version 6.3.4 to understand any configuration or migration requirements
- Back up the current Avalanche configuration and database
- Upgrade the Avalanche installation to version 6.3.4 or later
- Verify the upgrade was successful and test that the Path Traversal vulnerability is no longer exploitable
- Confirm the service restarts successfully and all Avalanche services are running properly
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-36981 — 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-2022-36981 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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