In Pulse Secure Pulse Connect Secure version 9.0RX before 9.0R3.4, 8.3RX before 8.3R7.1, 8.2RX before 8.2R12.1, and 8.1RX before 8.1R15.1 an
In Pulse Secure Pulse Connect Secure version 9.0RX before 9.0R3.4, 8.3RX before 8.3R7.1, 8.2RX before 8.2R12.1, and 8.1RX before 8.1R15.1 and Pulse Policy Secure version 9.0RX before 9.0R3.2, 5.4RX before 5.4R7.1, 5.3RX before 5.3R12.1, 5.2RX before 5.2R12.1, and 5.1RX before 5.1R15.1, the admin web interface allows an authenticated attacker to inject and execute commands.
- Published
- Apr 25, 2019
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 98.5% · 100th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-78
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Report tools
Action score
88
Now
Patch today or shut off access.
- CVSS
- 28 / 40 · 7.2 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 30 / 30 · Listed
- EPSS
- 30 / 30 · 98.5%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- active
- Automatable
- no
- Technical impact
- total
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- 7.2
- CNA · mitre
- 8.0
- 0.8 point gap
CVSS:3.0/AC:H/AV:N/A:H/C:H/I:H/PR:H/S:C/UI:N
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Actively exploited in the wild
CISA added this to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on Nov 3, 2021. That signals real attacks, not theory.
Remediation deadline for government agencies: May 3, 2022.
Known to be used in ransomware campaigns.
Affected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| ivanti | connect secure | cpe:2.3:a:ivanti:connect_secure |
| ivanti | policy secure | cpe:2.3:a:ivanti:policy_secure |
| pulsesecure | pulse policy secure | cpe:2.3:a:pulsesecure:pulse_policy_secure |
Using connect secure? Add it to your stack and be the first to know about CVEs like this one. (VPN gateway)
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- ivanti connect secure8.1
- ivanti connect secure8.2
- ivanti connect secure8.3
- ivanti connect secure9.0
Same product
ivanti: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2019-11510In Pulse Secure Pulse Connect Secure (PCS) 8.2 before 8.2R12.1, 8.3 before 8.3R7.1, and 9.0 before 9.0R3.4, an unauthenticated remote attackKEV100Now
- CVE-2025-22457A stack-based buffer overflow in Ivanti Connect Secure before version 22.7R2.6, Ivanti Policy Secure before version 22.7R1.4, and Ivanti ZTAKEV99Now
- CVE-2025-0282A stack-based buffer overflow in Ivanti Connect Secure before version 22.7R2.5, Ivanti Policy Secure before version 22.7R1.2, and Ivanti NeuKEV96Now
- CVE-2024-21887A command injection vulnerability in web components of Ivanti Connect Secure (9.x, 22.x) and Ivanti Policy Secure (9.x, 22.x) allows an autKEV96Now
- CVE-2024-21893A server-side request forgery vulnerability in the SAML component of Ivanti Connect Secure (9.x, 22.x) and Ivanti Policy Secure (9.x, 22.x) KEV92Now
- CVE-2023-46805An authentication bypass vulnerability in the web component of Ivanti ICS 9.x, 22.x and Ivanti Policy Secure allows a remote attacker to accKEV92Now
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.
Exploit status
Weaponized
A ready exploit tool or active in-the-wild use is known for this vulnerability. This should be your top priority.
Evidence
- Metasploit module ×1
- Exploit-DB entry ×2
- Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub ×1
Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.
| Source | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Exploit-DB entry | remote | 2019-09-06 |
| Exploit-DB entry | remote | 2019-11-20 |
| Metasploit module | exploit/linux/http/pulse_secure_cmd_execPulse Secure VPN Arbitrary Command Executionexploit | 2019-04-24 |
| Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub | stars:132 | 2019-09-04 |
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
- Metasploit-2 d
- Published
- First PoC+131 d
- CISA KEV+922 d
- TodaySep 29, 2026+2714 d
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- Administrator privileges are required.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-78 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvd-primary
Root cause
User input is inserted as text into a shell command. The shell may interpret special characters in the input as part of the command.
The bug in code
The whole CWE-78 classA representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.
Vulnerable
const host = req.body.host;exec("ping -c 1 " + host, onResult);Fixed
const host = req.body.host;if (!/^[a-z0-9.-]{1,253}$/i.test(host)) return res.sendStatus(400);execFile("ping", ["-c", "1", host], onResult);Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- Command Line Execution through SQL InjectionCAPEC-108likelihood: Low · Very High
- Command DelimitersCAPEC-15likelihood: High · High
- Exploiting Multiple Input Interpretation LayersCAPEC-43likelihood: Medium · High
- Argument InjectionCAPEC-6likelihood: High · High
- OS Command InjectionCAPEC-88likelihood: High · High
ATT&CK techniques
—
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for all 385,000+ vulnerabilities; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for helpChange log
No changes recorded on tracked fields yet. Score, KEV, exploit maturity and fix status changes appear here.
References
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/154376/Pulse-Secure-8.1R15.1-8.2-8.3-9.0-SSL-VPN-Remote-Code-Execution.html
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/155277/Pulse-Secure-VPN-Arbitrary-Command-Execution.html
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/162092/Pulse-Secure-VPN-Arbitrary-Command-Execution.html
- www.securityfocus.com/bid/108073
- kb.pulsesecure.net/articles/Pulse_Security_Advisories/SA44101
- psirt.global.sonicwall.com/vuln-detail/SNWLID-2019-0010
- www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/927237
- www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2019-11539
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.