CVE-2019-11539 in Pulse Connect Secure
Summary
by MITRE
In Pulse Secure Pulse Connect Secure version 9.0RX before 9.0R3.4, 8.3RX before 8.3R7.1, 8.2RX before 8.2R12.1, and 8.1RX before 8.1R15.1 and Pulse Policy Secure version 9.0RX before 9.0R3.2, 5.4RX before 5.4R7.1, 5.3RX before 5.3R12.1, 5.2RX before 5.2R12.1, and 5.1RX before 5.1R15.1, the admin web interface allows an authenticated attacker to inject and execute commands.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/03/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical command injection flaw in Pulse Secure's web-based administrative interfaces, affecting multiple versions of both Pulse Connect Secure and Pulse Policy Secure appliances. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the administrative web portal, allowing authenticated users to manipulate input fields and execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system. This issue falls under CWE-77 which specifically addresses command injection vulnerabilities where user-supplied data is improperly incorporated into system commands without adequate sanitization measures. The attack vector requires an authenticated session, meaning an attacker must first obtain valid administrative credentials, but once achieved, the impact extends beyond simple privilege escalation to full system compromise.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the administrative web interface where input parameters are not properly escaped or validated before being processed by the backend system. Attackers can craft malicious payloads that get interpreted as system commands, potentially allowing them to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the web server process. This creates a significant risk of unauthorized access to sensitive network resources, data exfiltration, and potential lateral movement within the network infrastructure. The vulnerability affects a wide range of Pulse Secure appliances across multiple release branches, indicating a fundamental flaw in the input handling mechanisms that was not properly addressed across the product line. This widespread impact suggests that organizations using any of these affected versions face similar exposure risks regardless of their specific deployment configuration.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple unauthorized access, potentially enabling attackers to gain complete control over the affected appliances and their underlying network infrastructure. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to modify firewall rules, access network traffic, establish persistence mechanisms, and use the compromised appliances as launch points for further attacks against internal systems. From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059 which covers command and scripting interpreter, specifically targeting the execution of system commands through various attack vectors. Organizations may also face compliance and regulatory implications, as unauthorized access to network security appliances often violates security standards such as those outlined in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and ISO 27001 requirements for secure network management. The vulnerability's presence in multiple versions suggests that organizations may have been exposed for extended periods, potentially allowing attackers to establish long-term persistence within their environments.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigation strategies including applying the vendor-provided security patches for all affected versions, implementing network segmentation to limit access to administrative interfaces, and conducting thorough access control reviews to ensure only authorized personnel can reach the administrative web portals. Additional measures should include monitoring for suspicious administrative activities, implementing network-based intrusion detection systems to identify potential exploitation attempts, and establishing robust credential management practices including multi-factor authentication for administrative access. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect mission-critical network infrastructure components. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar issues across the entire network infrastructure, as command injection vulnerabilities often represent broader architectural weaknesses that may exist in other components of the security ecosystem.