CVE-2023-25589
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 vulnerability in the web-based management interface of ClearPass Policy Manager could allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to create arbitrary users on the platform. A successful exploit allows an attacker to achieve total cluster compromise.
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 critical authentication bypass vulnerability in the ClearPass Policy Manager web-based management interface allows unauthenticated remote attackers to create arbitrary users on the platform. The flaw enables attackers to gain privileged access and achieve total compromise of the entire cluster.
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, <= 6.9.13>= 6.10.0, <= 6.10.8= 6.11.0= 6.11.1CVSS 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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Determine installed ClearPass Policy Manager versionAccess the ClearPass guest web interface or admin dashboard and navigate to Administration > Server Management > Server Configuration, or run 'show version' via CLI if you have shell access. Locate the software version number.Affected if The installed version falls within 6.9.0-6.9.13, 6.10.0-6.10.8, 6.11.0, or 6.11.1.
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Identify management interface exposureReview network firewall rules and access control lists to determine if the ClearPass Policy Manager web-based management interface (HTTPS on port 443/TCP by default) is accessible from untrusted networks or the internet.Affected if The management interface is reachable from networks outside the trusted administrative zone.
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Audit local user accounts for unauthorized entriesLog into ClearPass Policy Manager as an administrator and navigate to Administration > User Management > Users. Review all accounts with Administrator or Operator roles, focusing on creation dates, unfamiliar usernames, and accounts added outside normal change control windows.Affected if Unexpected user accounts exist, especially those with Administrator privileges or created during periods when no authorized administrator action was taken.
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Check for new or unknown API clientsNavigate to Administration > API Services > API Clients and inspect the list of registered OAuth clients and API clients for any entries you do not recognize.Affected if Unknown or unauthorized API client registrations are present.
You are affected if your ClearPass Policy Manager version is one of the vulnerable releases listed AND the management interface is network-accessible, regardless of whether unauthorized users are currently visible.
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.
From vendor dataRestrict network access to the ClearPass management interface, apply vendor-provided patches immediately, and review existing user accounts for unauthorized entries.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-25589 — 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-2023-25589 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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