CVE-2021-40993 in ClearPass Policy Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 10/15/2021
A remote SQL injection 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.
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/20/2021
The vulnerability CVE-2021-40993 represents a critical remote SQL injection flaw in Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager across multiple version ranges including 6.10.x before 6.10.2, 6.9.x before 6.9.7-HF1, and 6.8.x before 6.8.9-HF1. This vulnerability resides within the authentication and authorization framework of the ClearPass Policy Manager system, which serves as a central policy enforcement point for network access control in enterprise environments. The affected system manages user authentication, device profiling, and access policy enforcement for wireless and wired network infrastructure, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to compromise network security controls.
The technical implementation of this SQL injection vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the web application's database interaction layers. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious SQL queries through carefully constructed input parameters that are directly passed to backend database operations without proper sanitization or parameterization. This flaw allows remote unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands against the underlying database, potentially gaining access to sensitive user credentials, network policies, device configurations, and other confidential information stored within the ClearPass database. The vulnerability maps to CWE-89 SQL Injection within the Common Weakness Enumeration catalog, specifically manifesting as an improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exfiltration, as successful exploitation could enable attackers to escalate privileges, modify access controls, and potentially disrupt network services. Network administrators rely on ClearPass Policy Manager to enforce security policies and maintain network access control, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where the system controls access to critical network resources. The attack surface is further expanded by the fact that ClearPass Policy Manager typically operates in network infrastructure environments where it may be directly accessible from external networks, increasing the likelihood of exploitation. According to ATT&CK framework techniques, this vulnerability aligns with T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application and T1071.005 Application Layer Protocol DNS, as attackers could leverage it to establish persistent access and potentially pivot to other network segments.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2021-40993 require immediate deployment of patches released by Aruba, specifically versions 6.10.2, 6.9.7-HF1, and 6.8.9-HF1, which address the SQL injection vulnerability through proper input validation and parameterized query implementations. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit direct access to ClearPass Policy Manager systems, deploy web application firewalls to monitor and filter malicious SQL injection attempts, and conduct regular security assessments of the authentication and authorization systems. Additionally, network administrators should review and restrict database user permissions for the ClearPass system to minimize potential damage from successful exploitation, ensuring that database accounts used by ClearPass have the minimal necessary privileges for system operation. Continuous monitoring of network traffic for suspicious SQL injection patterns and implementation of intrusion detection systems should be deployed to detect potential exploitation attempts.