CVE-2022-23673 in ClearPass Policy Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 05/17/2022
A authenticated remote command injection 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 authenticated remote command injection vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-23673 represents a critical security flaw within Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager software across multiple version ranges including 6.10.4 and below, 6.9.9 and below, 6.8.9-HF2 and below, and 6.7.x and below. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the authentication and command processing components of the ClearPass Policy Manager platform, creating a pathway for authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying system. The flaw specifically manifests when legitimate authenticated users submit maliciously crafted input that bypasses normal sanitization processes, allowing for direct command execution within the context of the application's privileges.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an attacker to possess valid authentication credentials for the ClearPass Policy Manager system, which significantly reduces the attack surface compared to unauthenticated vulnerabilities. However, the impact remains severe as the authenticated command injection allows for complete system compromise, enabling attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected application. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-77 and CWE-94 categories, specifically addressing command injection weaknesses where user-supplied data is improperly validated and directly incorporated into system commands without proper sanitization. The vulnerability exists due to insufficient parameter validation and inadequate input filtering mechanisms that fail to properly escape or sanitize user-provided data before processing.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-23673 extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as successful exploitation can lead to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and potential lateral movement within the network infrastructure. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent backdoors, modify authentication policies, access sensitive network data, and potentially use the compromised ClearPass system as a launching point for further attacks against other network segments. The vulnerability affects the core authentication and policy management functions of ClearPass, which typically serve as critical network access control points, making the impact particularly severe for organizations relying on this platform for network security enforcement. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1059.001 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell) and T1068 (Exploitation for Privilege Escalation) techniques, as it enables command execution and privilege escalation within the network infrastructure.
Organizations should immediately implement the security patches released by Aruba to address this vulnerability, ensuring all affected ClearPass Policy Manager versions are updated to the latest supported releases. System administrators should also implement network monitoring to detect anomalous command execution patterns and establish strict access controls for ClearPass management interfaces. Additional mitigations include implementing network segmentation to limit access to ClearPass management interfaces, enforcing multi-factor authentication for administrative access, and conducting regular security assessments of the authentication and input validation mechanisms. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and proper input validation in network access control systems, as these components form the foundation of enterprise network security infrastructure. Organizations should also consider implementing security information and event management solutions to detect and respond to potential exploitation attempts targeting this vulnerability.