CVE-2022-23671 in ClearPass Policy Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 05/17/2022
A remote authenticated information disclosure vulnerability was discovered in Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager version(s): 6.10.4 and below, 6.9.9 and below, 6.8.9-HF2 and below, 6.7.x and below. Aruba has released updates to ClearPass Policy Manager that address this security vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/25/2022
The CVE-2022-23671 vulnerability represents a critical remote authenticated information disclosure flaw within Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager software across multiple version ranges including 6.10.4 and earlier, 6.9.9 and earlier, 6.8.9-HF2 and earlier, and all 6.7.x versions. This vulnerability falls under the category of information disclosure vulnerabilities that can be exploited by authenticated attackers to access sensitive data within the system. The flaw specifically affects the authentication and authorization mechanisms of the ClearPass Policy Manager platform, which serves as a central policy enforcement point for network access control and identity management. The vulnerability allows an authenticated attacker with valid credentials to extract confidential information that should remain protected within the system's administrative interfaces and configuration databases.
The technical implementation of this information disclosure vulnerability stems from inadequate access controls and insufficient input validation within the ClearPass Policy Manager's web application framework. Attackers can leverage their authenticated session to navigate to restricted administrative endpoints that should only be accessible to privileged users with specific authorization levels. This weakness enables the extraction of sensitive configuration data, user credentials, policy definitions, and other administrative information that could provide attackers with comprehensive insights into the network's security posture. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and requires a valid authentication token or session to exploit, making it a privilege escalation issue rather than a simple authentication bypass. The flaw likely resides in the application's permission checking mechanisms or in how it handles API requests from authenticated users.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-23671 extends beyond simple data exposure, as the leaked information can be leveraged to conduct more sophisticated attacks against the network infrastructure. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could obtain detailed network access policies, user account information, authentication configurations, and potentially credentials for other systems within the network ecosystem. This information disclosure creates a significant risk for organizations relying on ClearPass for network access control, as it undermines the fundamental security principle of least privilege. The vulnerability can lead to unauthorized access to network resources, privilege escalation attacks, and potential lateral movement within the network. Organizations may face compliance violations and regulatory penalties if sensitive information is exposed, particularly in environments governed by standards such as pci dss, hipaa, or soc 2.
Organizations should immediately implement the vendor-provided patches and updates released by Aruba to address this vulnerability. The remediation process involves upgrading to supported versions of ClearPass Policy Manager that contain the necessary security fixes and access control improvements. Network administrators should also conduct thorough security assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and review access logs for suspicious authentication patterns. Implementing additional security controls such as network segmentation, enhanced monitoring of administrative interfaces, and regular security audits can help mitigate the risk. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-200 (Information Exposure) and could be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1566 (Phishing) or T1078 (Valid Accounts) depending on how attackers initially gain access. Regular vulnerability scanning and security assessments should be implemented to detect similar issues in other network management systems and ensure comprehensive protection against information disclosure threats.