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Connect SecureApplication · Ivanti

CVE-2024-38656

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 22.7 or later.
See remediation →
97/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Argument injection in Ivanti Connect Secure before version 22.7R2.2 and 9.1R18.9 and Ivanti Policy Secure before version 22.7R1.2 allows a remote authenticated attacker with admin privileges to achieve remote code execution.

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

This is an argument injection vulnerability in Ivanti Connect Secure and Policy Secure VPN gateways that allows a remote authenticated attacker with admin privileges to inject malicious arguments and achieve remote code execution. The vulnerability exists in specific versions prior to 22.7R2.2 (Connect Secure), 9.1R18.9 (Connect Secure), and 22.7R1.2 (Policy Secure).

MitigationUpgrade Ivanti Connect Secure to version 22.7R2.2 or 9.1R18.9, and Ivanti Policy Secure to version 22.7R1.2 or later. Restrict admin access and monitor for unauthorized administrative sessions until patching is complete.

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
Connect SecureApplication
Affected:< 22.7= 22.7
Policy SecureApplication
Affected:< 22.7= 22.7

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
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/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 the Ivanti product type
    Access the VPN gateway admin console or check system documentation to determine if the installed product is Ivanti Connect Secure or Ivanti Policy Secure
    Affected if The product is either Ivanti Connect Secure or Ivanti Policy Secure
  2. Locate the installed version number
    In the admin console, navigate to the System > Status or System > Overview page to view the firmware/software version. Alternatively, check the login page footer or the /version endpoint if accessible.
    Affected if Unable to retrieve version information may indicate a managed service or restricted access
  3. Compare your version to the affected ranges
    For Ivanti Connect Secure: versions < 22.7 or = 22.7 (including 22.7R1, 22.7R1.1) are affected, as well as versions < 9.1R18.9. For Ivanti Policy Secure: versions < 22.7 or = 22.7 (including 22.7R1, 22.7R1.1) are affected.
    Affected if Your installed version falls within any of these affected ranges: Connect Secure < 22.7, = 22.7.x, or < 9.1R18.9; Policy Secure < 22.7 or = 22.7.x
  4. Verify admin access controls
    Check the Administrative Access settings in the admin console under Users > Administrators or System > Administration > Admin Users to review configured admin accounts and their privilege levels.
    Affected if Multiple admin accounts exist or remote admin access is enabled, increasing the attack surface for this privilege-escalation flaw
  5. Review admin session logs
    Examine system logs or the Admin Session logs under System > Log Messages for any suspicious or unauthorized administrative sessions, especially from unexpected IP addresses or at unusual times.
    Affected if Unrecognized admin sessions or authentication anomalies are present

You are affected if your Ivanti Connect Secure or Policy Secure version is 22.7.x or earlier, or for Connect Secure specifically, version 9.1R18.8 or earlier, and the device has admin accounts configured with network access.

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 22.7 or later
Fixed in 22.7
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Ivanti Connect Secure to version 22.7R2.2 or 9.1R18.9, and Ivanti Policy Secure to version 22.7R1.2 or later. Restrict admin access and monitor for unauthorized administrative sessions until patching is complete.

Recommended fix High confidence

Connect Secure: 22.7R2.2 or 9.1R18.9 (or later); Policy Secure: 22.7R1.2 (or later)

  1. 1. Identify the current version of Ivanti Connect Secure or Policy Secure by checking the admin console or system information.
  2. 2. For Ivanti Connect Secure: Upgrade to version 22.7R2.2 or later (alternative branch 9.1R18.9 or later).
  3. 3. For Ivanti Policy Secure: Upgrade to version 22.7R1.2 or later.
  4. 4. Download the appropriate upgrade package from the official Ivanti support portal at forums.ivanti.com or via the Ivanti customer portal.
  5. 5. Review upgrade instructions in the Ivanti documentation before initiating the upgrade.
  6. 6. Perform the upgrade during a planned maintenance window following standard backup procedures.
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify the system is functioning correctly and the new version is installed.
  8. 8. Confirm the vulnerability is remediated by checking the running version matches or exceeds the fixed releases.
Caveat Standard upgrade risks apply - ensure backups and test in non-production first

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

Fix this in Connect Secure Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,780
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,448.

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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-2024-38656 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