CVE-2021-37738
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2021-37738 is an information disclosure vulnerability in Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager that allows remote attackers to access sensitive information without authentication. Affected organizations are those running ClearPass Policy Manager versions 6.8.x, 6.9.x, or 6.10.x without the specified security patches.
💻 Affected Systems
- Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could exfiltrate sensitive configuration data, credentials, or policy information, potentially enabling further attacks against the network infrastructure.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access to system information that could be used for reconnaissance or to facilitate other attacks.
If Mitigated
Limited exposure with proper network segmentation and access controls, though the vulnerability still exists.
🎯 Exploit Status
The vulnerability allows remote information disclosure without authentication, making exploitation straightforward if accessible.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 6.8.9-HF1, 6.9.7-HF1, or 6.10.2
Vendor Advisory: https://www.arubanetworks.com/assets/alert/ARUBA-PSA-2021-018.txt
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download the appropriate patch from Aruba support portal. 2. Backup current configuration. 3. Apply patch following Aruba's upgrade documentation. 4. Restart ClearPass services.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Segmentation
allRestrict network access to ClearPass Policy Manager to trusted IP addresses only.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network access controls to limit exposure to trusted sources only.
- Monitor for unusual access patterns or data exfiltration attempts.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check ClearPass version via web interface (Administration > Support > About) or CLI command 'show version'.Check Version:
show versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 6.8.9-HF1, 6.9.7-HF1, or 6.10.2 or later.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual access patterns to sensitive endpoints
- Requests for configuration or system information from untrusted sources
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected traffic to ClearPass management interfaces from external IPs
SIEM Query:
source_ip NOT IN (trusted_ips) AND destination_port IN (443, 8443) AND destination_ip IN (clearpass_ips)