dbcve.org
Clearpass Policy ManagerApplication · Arubanetworks

CVE-2023-43508

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-10-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.9.13 / 6.10.8 or later.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 web-based management interface of ClearPass Policy Manager allow an attacker with read-only privileges to perform actions that change the state of the ClearPass Policy Manager instance. Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities allow an attacker to complete state-changing actions in the web-based management interface that should not be allowed by their current level of authorization on the platform.

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 · moderate confidence

ClearPass Policy Manager web-based management interface contains an authorization bypass vulnerability where users with read-only privileges can perform state-changing administrative actions. This is a privilege escalation flaw in the web application's access control enforcement mechanism.

MitigationApply the vendor security patch from Aruba Networks for ClearPass Policy Manager and verify that read-only accounts cannot perform administrative state-changing actions after the update.

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:< 6.9.13>= 6.10.0, < 6.10.8>= 6.11.0, <= 6.11.4= 6.9.13= 6.10.8

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

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 installed ClearPass Policy Manager version
    Log into the ClearPass Policy Manager admin UI and navigate to Administration > General > Server Manager > System Info, or run 'show version' via CLI to determine the exact version number
    Affected if The installed version falls within < 6.9.13, 6.9.13, 6.10.0-6.10.7, 6.10.8, or 6.11.0-6.11.4
  2. Confirm read-only user accounts exist
    Navigate to Configuration > Authentication > Local Users or Administration > User Administration > Local Users in the web interface to enumerate user accounts with 'Read Only' or restricted privilege roles
    Affected if Any read-only or restricted-privilege accounts are present in the system
  3. Verify web-based management interface is accessible
    Confirm the ClearPass Policy Manager web UI (HTTPS on port 443 or 8443 by default) is reachable and operational
    Affected if The web management interface is exposed and active, as the vulnerability exists in the web application access control enforcement mechanism

A user is affected if the installed ClearPass Policy Manager version is one of the vulnerable releases AND read-only accounts exist with access to the web management interface.

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 6.9.13 / 6.10.8 or later
Fixed in 6.9.136.10.8
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor security patch from Aruba Networks for ClearPass Policy Manager and verify that read-only accounts cannot perform administrative state-changing actions after the update.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to ClearPass Policy Manager version 6.9.14 or later, 6.10.8 or later, or 6.11.5 or later (preferably latest stable release)

  1. 1. Back up the ClearPass Policy Manager configuration before initiating any upgrade.
  2. 2. Review the current installed version by navigating to Administration > About in the ClearPass web interface.
  3. 3. Download the appropriate upgrade image from the Aruba Support Portal (support.arubanetworks.com) for your target fixed version.
  4. 4. Upload the upgrade image via the ClearPass Policy Manager web interface: Administration > Software Update > Upload.
  5. 5. Initiate the upgrade process and monitor the progress through the web interface or CLI.
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the software version post-upgrade.
  7. 7. Confirm that the previously affected read-only authorization vulnerability is resolved by testing with a read-only user account.
Caveat Review Aruba upgrade release notes for any configuration or compatibility changes between your current and target version

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

Fix this in Clearpass Policy Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,440
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,504.

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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-2023-43508 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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