dbcve.org
Clearpass Policy ManagerApplication · Arubanetworks

CVE-2023-43509

MEDIUM · 5.8 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 →
67/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 web-based management interface of ClearPass Policy Manager could allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to send notifications to computers that are running ClearPass OnGuard. These notifications can then be used to phish users or trick them into downloading malicious software.

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's web-based management interface lacks proper authorization controls, allowing unauthenticated attackers to send arbitrary notifications to ClearPass OnGuard agents. These notifications can be weaponized for phishing campaigns or to trick users into downloading malware.

MitigationRestrict access to the ClearPass Policy Manager web interface to trusted networks only, and apply available vendor patches from Aruba Networks.

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
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/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 web interface and navigate to Administration > Server Manager > Server Configuration, or run the command 'show version' via CLI on the ClearPass appliance
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: < 6.9.13, 6.9.13, >= 6.10.0 and < 6.10.8, 6.10.8, >= 6.11.0 and <= 6.11.4
  2. Verify OnGuard agent communication is enabled
    In the ClearPass Policy Manager web interface, navigate to Configuration > OnGuard > Agent Settings and check if the OnGuard agent communication or notification features are enabled
    Affected if OnGuard agent notification capability is active and reachable by the management interface
  3. Confirm web interface network exposure
    Check network accessibility of the ClearPass Policy Manager web interface (default ports 443, 8080) by reviewing firewall rules, ACLs, or network segmentation configurations
    Affected if The management interface is accessible from untrusted or external networks rather than being restricted to trusted management networks

Your environment is affected if you are running any version of ClearPass Policy Manager listed as vulnerable AND the web management interface is network-accessible with OnGuard agent notifications enabled.

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

Restrict access to the ClearPass Policy Manager web interface to trusted networks only, and apply available vendor patches from Aruba Networks.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

6.9.14 (for 6.9.x), 6.10.8 (for 6.10.x), or 6.11.5 (for 6.11.x) - prefer the latest stable release available

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed ClearPass Policy Manager version from the web-based management interface (Help > About)
  2. 2. Based on the current version, upgrade to the corresponding fixed release: For 6.9.x branch, upgrade to 6.9.14 or later; For 6.10.x branch, upgrade to 6.10.8 or later; For 6.11.x branch, upgrade to 6.11.5 or later
  3. 3. Obtain the upgrade image from Aruba's official support portal (https://asp.arubanetworks.com)
  4. 4. Back up the current ClearPass Policy Manager configuration (Configuration > Backup > Export)
  5. 5. Upload and apply the upgrade via the web interface (Maintenance > Software Update > Upload)
  6. 6. Allow the upgrade to complete and verify the system restarts successfully
  7. 7. Confirm the new version matches the expected fixed release in Help > About
Caveat Standard upgrade risks apply: ensure configuration backup before proceeding; plan for brief service interruption during upgrade

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
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,150
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,440.

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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-2023-43509 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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