CVE-2021-40989 in ClearPass Policy Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 10/15/2021
A local escalation of privilege vulnerability was discovered in Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager version(s): ClearPass Policy Manager 6.10.x prior to 6.10.2 - - ClearPass Policy Manager 6.9.x prior to 6.9.7-HF1 - - ClearPass Policy Manager 6.8.x prior to 6.8.9-HF1. Aruba has released patches for ClearPass Policy Manager that address this security vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/22/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-40989 represents a critical local escalation of privilege flaw within Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager software across multiple version lines. This security weakness affects ClearPass Policy Manager versions 6.10.x before 6.10.2, 6.9.x before 6.9.7-HF1, and 6.8.x before 6.8.9-HF1, creating a significant risk for organizations relying on this network access control solution. The vulnerability allows an attacker with local system access to elevate their privileges from standard user level to administrative privileges, potentially compromising the entire network access control infrastructure. This type of vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-269, which specifically addresses improper privileges assigned to administrative components, making it particularly dangerous in network security contexts where administrative access controls are paramount.
The technical implementation of this privilege escalation flaw stems from inadequate access controls within the ClearPass Policy Manager's local execution environment. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability can leverage local system access to manipulate underlying processes or files that should normally require administrative privileges for modification. The flaw likely exists in how the system handles local user permissions or process execution contexts, allowing a malicious actor to bypass normal privilege boundaries. This vulnerability directly impacts the principle of least privilege that network security systems should enforce, enabling unauthorized elevation of privileges without proper authentication or authorization mechanisms. The attack vector typically requires initial local access to the system, which could be achieved through various means including compromised user credentials, physical access, or exploitation of other vulnerabilities that provide local execution capabilities. According to the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to the privilege escalation technique under the T1068 category, specifically targeting local system access for administrative privilege acquisition.
The operational impact of CVE-2021-40989 extends far beyond simple privilege elevation, as it fundamentally undermines the security posture of organizations using affected ClearPass Policy Manager versions. Once exploited, an attacker could gain complete administrative control over the network access control system, potentially allowing them to modify access policies, create unauthorized user accounts, disable security controls, or even redirect network traffic through the compromised system. This compromise directly affects the integrity and confidentiality of network access decisions, as the attacker could manipulate who gains access to network resources and what level of access they receive. Organizations relying on ClearPass for network access control, authentication, and authorization would face severe consequences including potential data breaches, unauthorized network access, and complete compromise of their network security infrastructure. The vulnerability affects enterprise environments where ClearPass is deployed for critical network access control, making it particularly concerning for organizations with sensitive data or compliance requirements.
Organizations must implement immediate remediation measures to address this vulnerability, starting with applying the patches released by Aruba for all affected versions. The recommended mitigation strategy involves upgrading to ClearPass Policy Manager 6.10.2, 6.9.7-HF1, or 6.8.9-HF1 respectively, depending on the current version in use. System administrators should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify all systems running affected versions and prioritize their patching efforts. Additionally, organizations should review their local access controls and implement monitoring for suspicious privilege escalation attempts, as the vulnerability requires local system access to exploit. Network segmentation and access control measures should be reviewed to minimize the impact if local access is compromised, while also implementing logging and alerting mechanisms to detect potential exploitation attempts. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of patched systems to ensure that the vulnerability is fully resolved without introducing new issues or disrupting existing network access control functionality. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other network infrastructure components, as this vulnerability highlights potential gaps in privilege management and access control implementation across the enterprise network.