CVE-2024-51771: ClearPass Policy Manager RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2024-51771 Overview

A command injection vulnerability exists in the HPE Aruba Networking ClearPass Policy Manager web-based management interface that could allow an authenticated remote threat actor to conduct a remote code execution attack. Successful exploitation could enable the attacker to run arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system, potentially leading to complete system compromise.

Critical Impact

Authenticated attackers can execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system, enabling full system compromise, data exfiltration, and lateral movement within the network infrastructure.

Affected Products

• HPE Aruba Networking ClearPass Policy Manager (multiple versions)

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-12-03 - CVE-2024-51771 published to NVD
• 2025-04-07 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-51771

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-77 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command), commonly known as Command Injection. The flaw resides in the web-based management interface of ClearPass Policy Manager, where user-supplied input is insufficiently sanitized before being passed to operating system command execution functions.

Command injection vulnerabilities in network access control systems like ClearPass Policy Manager are particularly dangerous because these systems typically have elevated privileges on the network and may have access to sensitive authentication credentials, policy configurations, and network segmentation rules.

An authenticated attacker with access to the management interface can craft malicious input that escapes the intended command context and injects arbitrary shell commands. These commands execute with the privileges of the underlying web application service, which often runs with elevated system permissions.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of special elements in user-controllable input before the input is used in constructing OS commands. The web-based management interface fails to adequately sanitize or validate input parameters, allowing shell metacharacters and command separators to be interpreted by the underlying operating system shell.

This type of vulnerability typically occurs when applications use functions like system(), exec(), popen(), or similar OS command execution APIs while incorporating unsanitized user input into the command string.

Attack Vector

The attack is conducted remotely over the network through the web-based management interface. An attacker must first authenticate to the ClearPass Policy Manager management interface, making this a post-authentication vulnerability. However, compromised credentials, insider threats, or weak authentication configurations could provide the necessary access.

Once authenticated, the attacker can submit specially crafted input containing shell metacharacters (such as ;, |, &&, ||, or backticks) that break out of the intended command context. The injected commands execute on the underlying operating system with the privileges of the ClearPass service account.

The attack does not require user interaction beyond the initial authentication, and exploitation complexity is low once valid credentials are obtained.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-51771

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual process spawning from ClearPass Policy Manager web service processes
• Unexpected outbound network connections from the ClearPass server
• Anomalous command-line activity involving shell interpreters (/bin/sh, /bin/bash, cmd.exe)
• Web server logs containing suspicious characters or command injection patterns in request parameters

Detection Strategies

• Monitor ClearPass Policy Manager web server access logs for requests containing shell metacharacters (;, |, &&, ||, backticks, $())
• Implement behavioral analysis to detect unusual child process creation from web application processes
• Deploy network-based intrusion detection rules to identify command injection patterns in HTTP traffic to management interfaces
• Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for unexpected command execution on ClearPass servers

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable comprehensive logging on ClearPass Policy Manager management interfaces
• Configure SIEM correlation rules to alert on command injection indicators targeting ClearPass infrastructure
• Monitor authentication logs for unusual login patterns to management interfaces
• Implement network segmentation monitoring to detect unexpected traffic from ClearPass servers

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-51771

Immediate Actions Required

• Apply the security patches provided by HPE Aruba Networking as referenced in the HPE Security Advisory
• Restrict access to ClearPass Policy Manager management interfaces to trusted administrative networks only
• Review and audit all accounts with access to the management interface
• Implement network segmentation to isolate management interfaces from general network traffic
• Enable multi-factor authentication for administrative access where supported

Patch Information

HPE Aruba Networking has released security updates to address this vulnerability. Administrators should consult the HPE Security Advisory for specific version information and patch download links. Organizations should prioritize patching given the authenticated remote code execution capability of this vulnerability.

Workarounds

• Implement strict firewall rules to limit access to the ClearPass Policy Manager management interface to specific trusted IP addresses
• Use a VPN or jump server architecture to add an additional authentication layer before accessing management interfaces
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with command injection detection rules in front of the management interface
• Audit and reduce the number of accounts with management interface access to minimize potential attack surface