CVE-2026-76752 in ClearPass Policy Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 10/06/2026
Authentication bypass vulnerabilities exist in the web-based management and API interfaces of HPE Networking ClearPass Policy Manager. Successful exploitation could allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to circumvent existing authentication controls and gain administrative access to the affected system.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/07/2026
The vulnerability described represents a critical failure in the authentication mechanisms governing the web-based management console and application programming interface (API) of HPE Networking ClearPass Policy Manager. This software serves as a central component for network access control, identity governance, and policy enforcement within enterprise environments. The existence of an authentication bypass flaw indicates that specific requests directed at these interfaces can successfully circumvent standard credential verification processes. Consequently, an unauthenticated remote attacker who gains network connectivity to the affected system may exploit this weakness to assume administrative privileges without providing valid credentials or completing multi-factor authentication steps required by default configurations.
From a technical perspective, such vulnerabilities typically stem from improper validation of session tokens, flawed logic in access control lists, or misconfigured routing rules that allow direct invocation of privileged endpoints while bypassing the central authentication gateway. In many cases involving API interfaces, this may involve manipulating HTTP headers, query parameters, or request methods to trigger administrative functions before the security middleware has a chance to validate user identity. The severity is compounded by the fact that ClearPass Policy Manager often holds sensitive data regarding network topology, user identities, and access policies. Gaining unauthorized administrative access allows an attacker to modify these configurations, potentially disabling security controls, creating backdoors for persistent access, or exfiltrating confidential information stored within the system's database.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, as it effectively nullifies the primary defense mechanism protecting the management plane of a critical network infrastructure component. An adversary with administrative access can alter authentication policies to weaken overall security posture, such as disabling multi-factor authentication for specific user groups or modifying role-based access controls to grant broader permissions than intended. Furthermore, because ClearPass integrates with various identity providers and RADIUS servers, compromising this system could facilitate lateral movement within the network. Attackers might use their elevated privileges to manipulate endpoint authorization decisions, allowing malicious devices to connect to restricted networks while legitimate users are denied service, thereby causing a denial of service or facilitating further intrusion attempts against internal assets.
To mitigate this risk, organizations must immediately apply vendor-provided patches that address the specific authentication bypass logic in both the web interface and API endpoints. Until patching is feasible, network segmentation should be enforced to restrict access to ClearPass management interfaces exclusively from trusted administrative subnets using firewalls or virtual LANs. Additionally, implementing strict rate limiting on API endpoints can help mitigate automated exploitation attempts. Security teams should also audit logs for unusual authentication patterns, such as successful logins without prior credential submission or requests targeting privileged APIs directly. Regular vulnerability scanning and penetration testing focused on identity management systems are essential to detect similar misconfigurations or flaws in other components of the network security architecture. This incident underscores the importance of rigorous input validation and defense-in-depth strategies where no single component is solely responsible for enforcing access controls without secondary verification layers.