dbcve.org
Clearpass Policy ManagerApplication · Arubanetworks

CVE-2022-37877

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-09-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.9.12 / 6.10.7 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 vulnerability in the ClearPass OnGuard macOS agent could allow malicious users on a macOS instance to elevate their user privileges. A successful exploit could allow these users to execute arbitrary code with root level privileges on the macOS instance in Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager version(s): 6.10.x: 6.10.6 and below; 6.9.x: 6.9.11 and below. Aruba has released upgrades for Aruba 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 confidence

A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the ClearPass OnGuard macOS agent that allows a malicious local user on a macOS system to elevate their privileges to root level and execute arbitrary code. This occurs due to improper privilege handling within the OnGuard agent software, which is designed for endpoint compliance checking in Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager.

MitigationUpgrade Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager to a version higher than 6.10.6 (for 6.10.x) or higher than 6.9.11 (for 6.9.x) to obtain the patched OnGuard agent. Aruba has released updates addressing this vulnerability.

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:>= 6.9.0, < 6.9.12>= 6.10.0, < 6.10.7

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. Verify OnGuard agent installation on macOS
    Check if the ClearPass OnGuard agent is installed on the macOS system. Look for the application in /Applications/ or check running processes for OnGuard-related services using Activity Monitor or the 'ps' command.
    Affected if If OnGuard agent is present on the macOS system, proceed to version checking. If not installed, the system is not affected by this vulnerability.
  2. Identify the installed OnGuard agent version
    Retrieve the version of the ClearPass OnGuard agent. This can typically be found by right-clicking the OnGuard application in /Applications/, selecting Get Info, and checking the Version field. Alternatively, check the ClearPass Policy Manager server version that deployed the agent.
    Affected if The specific version number is needed to determine if it falls within the affected ranges.
  3. Compare version against affected ranges
    Compare the installed version to the vulnerable ranges: 6.9.0 through 6.9.11 (inclusive) and 6.10.0 through 6.10.6 (inclusive). Versions 6.9.12+ and 6.10.7+ are patched.
    Affected if If the version is >= 6.9.0 and < 6.9.12, OR >= 6.10.0 and < 6.10.7, the system is vulnerable to privilege escalation via the OnGuard agent.
  4. Confirm agent is running with elevated privileges
    Verify that the OnGuard agent service is running on the macOS system. Check for running processes with root-level privileges that belong to OnGuard. Use commands like 'ps aux | grep -i onguard' or examine launchd services.
    Affected if If the vulnerable version is installed AND the OnGuard agent is actively running on the system, the privilege escalation vulnerability is present and exploitable.

A macOS system is affected if ClearPass OnGuard agent is installed with version 6.9.0-6.9.11 or 6.10.0-6.10.6 and the agent is actively running on that 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 6.9.12 / 6.10.7 or later
Fixed in 6.9.126.10.7
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager to a version higher than 6.10.6 (for 6.10.x) or higher than 6.9.11 (for 6.9.x) to obtain the patched OnGuard agent. Aruba has released updates addressing this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to ClearPass Policy Manager 6.9.12 or 6.10.7 (or later stable releases within those branches)

  1. 1. Log into the ClearPass Policy Manager admin interface or access via CLI with admin credentials.
  2. 2. Navigate to Administration > Server Manager > Server Configuration to check current version.
  3. 3. Review the upgrade path: either upgrade to 6.9.12 (if on 6.9.x) or upgrade to 6.10.7 (if on 6.10.x).
  4. 4. Download the appropriate upgrade image from the Aruba Support Portal (https://asp.arubanetworks.com).
  5. 5. Take a complete backup of the ClearPass Policy Manager configuration before upgrading.
  6. 6. Execute the upgrade via the CLI: 'upgrade <image-file-name>' or via the Administration > Server Manager > Server Upgrade UI.
  7. 7. Verify the upgrade completed successfully and the new version is running.
  8. 8. After upgrade, ensure the OnGuard agent packages are updated and redistributed to macOS endpoints if the agent was deployed via Policy Manager.
Caveat Review Aruba's release notes for 6.9.12 and 6.10.7 for any known compatibility or configuration changes 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 / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2022-37877 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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