Clearpass Policy ManagerApplication · Arubanetworks

CVE-2022-37879

HIGH · 7.2 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 →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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
Vulnerabilities in the ClearPass Policy Manager web-based management interface allow remote authenticated users to run arbitrary commands on the underlying host. A successful exploit could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary commands as root on the underlying operating system leading to complete system compromise 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 these security vulnerabilities.

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

Arbitrary command injection vulnerability in the ClearPass Policy Manager web-based management interface allows authenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands as root on the underlying operating system, resulting in complete system compromise.

MitigationApply the vendor-released upgrades for Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager: upgrade to 6.10.7 or higher for 6.10.x versions, or 6.9.12 or higher for 6.9.x versions.

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify ClearPass Policy Manager version
    Log into the ClearPass Policy Manager web administration interface and navigate to Administration > Server Manager > Server Configuration, or use the CLI command 'show version' via SSH or console to retrieve the installed software version.
    Affected if The displayed version falls within 6.9.0 to 6.9.11 (inclusive) or 6.10.0 to 6.10.6 (inclusive).
  2. Confirm the web management interface is enabled
    Verify that the ClearPass Policy Manager web-based management service is running and accessible. Check via Administration > Server Manager > Server Configuration > Services tab, or review the service status via CLI with 'show services' or 'appctl status'.
    Affected if The web management interface service is running and exposed (even on internal networks, as authentication is part of the attack vector).
  3. Review administrative user accounts
    Audit the list of local administrative users in ClearPass Policy Manager under Administration > User Manager > Users. Check for any unauthorized or unexpected accounts, particularly those with Operator or Super Admin privileges.
    Affected if Unexpected accounts exist, or known legitimate administrator passwords may have been compromised.
  4. Inspect system for signs of command execution
    On the ClearPass server (via CLI or console), examine running processes with 'ps aux', review recent shell history files, and check /tmp or other writable directories for unexpected scripts or binaries. Also review system logs under /var/log/ for unusual entries.
    Affected if Unexpected processes, scripts, or binaries are found, or logs show commands executed by the 'clearpass' or 'root' user that were not initiated by your administrators.

Your environment is affected if ClearPass Policy Manager is running a version between 6.9.0 and 6.9.11 or between 6.10.0 and 6.10.6, and the web management interface is accessible to authenticated users.

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

Apply the vendor-released upgrades for Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager: upgrade to 6.10.7 or higher for 6.10.x versions, or 6.9.12 or higher for 6.9.x versions.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to ClearPass Policy Manager 6.9.12 or 6.10.7 (or later versions in those branches)

  1. Back up the ClearPass Policy Manager configuration and database before starting the upgrade
  2. Review Aruba's upgrade documentation for ClearPass Policy Manager
  3. Download the appropriate upgrade package (6.9.12 for 6.9.x users or 6.10.7 for 6.10.x users) from the Aruba support portal
  4. Ensure the system meets all prerequisites for the target version
  5. Schedule a maintenance window as upgrades may require downtime
  6. Upload the upgrade package through the ClearPass web interface or CLI
  7. Follow the documented upgrade procedure to apply the patch
  8. After upgrade, verify the ClearPass services are running correctly
Caveat Review Aruba's release notes for any configuration changes or migration requirements between versions; test in non-production environment first

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

Fix this in Clearpass Policy Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,950
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,120.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-37879 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-37879 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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