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Netscaler Application Delivery ControllerApplication · Citrix

CVE-2024-8535

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 12.1-55.321 / 13.1-37.207 or later.
See remediation →
90/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Authenticated user can access unintended user capabilities in NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway if the appliance must be configured as a Gateway (SSL VPN, ICA Proxy, CVPN, RDP Proxy) with KCDAccount configuration for Kerberos SSO to access backend resources OR the appliance must be configured as an Auth Server (AAA Vserver) with KCDAccount configuration for Kerberos SSO to access backend resources

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

Authenticated users can access unintended user capabilities in NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway when the appliance is configured as a Gateway (SSL VPN, ICA Proxy, CVPN, RDP Proxy) OR as an Auth Server (AAA Vserver), in both cases with KCDAccount configuration for Kerberos SSO. This represents an authorization bypass where users may gain access to privileges or capabilities beyond their assigned role.

MitigationReview and restrict KCDAccount configurations on Gateway and AAA Vserver settings; audit user role assignments and permissions; apply Citrix-provided patches when released.

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
Netscaler Application Delivery ControllerApplication
Affected:>= 12.1, < 12.1-55.321>= 12.1, < 13.1-55.34>= 13.1, < 13.1-37.207>= 14.1, < 14.1-29.72
Netscaler GatewayApplication
Affected:>= 12.1, < 13.1-55.34>= 14.1, < 14.1-29.72

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check NetScaler ADC or Gateway version
    Run command 'show version' or 'nsversion' from the NetScaler CLI to retrieve the installed firmware version
    Affected if The installed version falls outside the patched ranges: < 12.1-55.321, < 13.1-55.34, < 13.1-37.207, or < 14.1-29.72
  2. Verify if Gateway is configured
    Run 'show vpn vserver' to list all VPN virtual servers. Check for SSL VPN, ICA Proxy, CVPN, or RDP Proxy configurations
    Affected if Any Gateway virtual server (SSL VPN, ICA Proxy, CVPN, RDP Proxy) is configured and active
  3. Verify if AAA Vserver is configured for authentication
    Run 'show aaa vserver' to list all AAA virtual servers used for authentication
    Affected if Any AAA authentication virtual server is configured and active
  4. Check for KCDAccount configuration
    Run 'show kcdaccount' or 'show run | grep kcd' to identify any Kerberos Constrained Delegation accounts configured on the appliance
    Affected if One or more KCDAccount entries exist, indicating Kerberos SSO is configured
  5. Confirm Gateway or AAA with KCDAccount overlap
    Cross-reference the outputs from steps 2, 3, and 4. Verify that either a Gateway vserver or AAA vserver is using a KCDAccount for Kerberos SSO
    Affected if A Gateway virtual server OR AAA vserver is paired with a KCDAccount configuration

The environment is affected if the NetScaler runs a vulnerable version AND has a Gateway (SSL VPN/ICA Proxy/CVPN/RDP Proxy) OR an AAA Vserver configured with KCDAccount for Kerberos SSO.

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 12.1-55.321 / 13.1-37.207 / 13.1-55.34 or later
Fixed in 12.1-55.32113.1-37.20713.1-55.34
Interim mitigation

Review and restrict KCDAccount configurations on Gateway and AAA Vserver settings; audit user role assignments and permissions; apply Citrix-provided patches when released.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to NetScaler 12.1-55.321+, 13.1-55.34+ (or 13.1-37.207+), or 14.1-29.72+ depending on your release train

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed NetScaler ADC or NetScaler Gateway version using 'show version' or 'nsversion' command
  2. 2. Determine which release train (12.1, 13.1, or 14.1) your current version belongs to
  3. 3. For 12.1 releases: upgrade to version 12.1-55.321 or later
  4. 4. For 13.1 releases: upgrade to version 13.1-55.34 or later (or 13.1-37.207 if on the 13.1-37 branch)
  5. 5. For 14.1 releases: upgrade to version 14.1-29.72 or later
  6. 6. Download the appropriate build from Citrix Downloads (download.citrix.com)
  7. 7. Upload the firmware to the NetScaler using the Web GUI (System > Firmware) or CLI (install firmware)
  8. 8. Reboot the appliance after upgrade using 'reboot' command
Caveat Standard firmware upgrade - plan for brief downtime; review release notes for any configuration changes

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

Fix this in Netscaler Application Delivery Controller Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,880
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,608.

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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-2024-8535 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