CVE-2022-43538
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 · uneditedVulnerabilities in the ClearPass Policy Manager web-based management interface allow remote authenticated users to run arbitrary commands on the underlying host. Successful exploits 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): ClearPass Policy Manager 6.10.x: 6.10.7 and below and ClearPass Policy Manager 6.9.x: 6.9.12 and below.
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 confidenceAuthenticated command injection vulnerability in Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager web-based management interface allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary commands as root on the underlying operating system, resulting in complete system compromise.
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>= 6.9.0, < 6.9.12>= 6.10.0, < 6.10.7CVSS 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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Confirm Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager is installedCheck for ClearPass Policy Manager services or processes running on the system. Look for the 'clearpass' service or access the web management interface on ports 443 or 80.Affected if The product is Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager
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Determine the installed ClearPass versionLog into the ClearPass web management interface and navigate to Administration > About, or run the CLI command 'show version' if you have CLI access.Affected if The version displayed is less than 6.9.12 or between 6.10.0 and 6.10.7 inclusive
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Verify the web-based management interface is enabledConfirm the ClearPass Policy Manager web UI is accessible and not disabled through network access controls. Check if ports 443 or 80 are listening for HTTP/HTTPS connections.Affected if The web management interface is accessible and the version falls within the affected range
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Review administrative user accessList all accounts with administrative privileges in ClearPass under Administration > User Administration > Users. Identify any accounts that could potentially exploit this authenticated command injection.Affected if Any authenticated administrator account exists and the ClearPass version is within the vulnerable range
The environment is affected if Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager is running with web management interface enabled and the installed version falls between 6.9.0 and 6.9.11, or between 6.10.0 and 6.10.7.
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 · scoped6.9.126.10.7
Upgrade to ClearPass Policy Manager version 6.10.8 or higher (for 6.10.x branch) or 6.9.13 or higher (for 6.9.x branch). As immediate workarounds, limit admin account access, apply network segmentation, and monitor for suspicious administrative activity.
ClearPass Policy Manager 6.9.12 (for 6.9.x branch) or 6.10.7 (for 6.10.x branch)
- Identify the currently installed ClearPass Policy Manager version via the web interface or CLI
- Determine which upgrade path applies based on your current version (6.9.x branch or 6.10.x branch)
- Download the appropriate upgrade package from the Aruba customer portal at support.arubanetworks.com
- Review the ClearPass upgrade guide for prerequisites including backup requirements
- Take a full configuration backup of ClearPass Policy Manager
- Schedule a maintenance window as upgrades require downtime
- Upload and install the upgrade via the ClearPass web interface (Administration > Software Update) or CLI
- Verify the upgrade completed successfully and services are running
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-43538 — 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-2022-43538 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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- 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