CVE-2021-40997Network attack vector

Unauthorized access via undisclosed authentication bypass

Published Oct 15, 2021 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Authentication bypass in affected ClearPass Policy Manager 6.8.x, 6.9.x, and 6.10.x releases allows remote attackers to gain access. HPE has not published the affected interface, request path, validation error, or access level granted by the bypass. No credentials or user interaction are required, but the disclosed information does not establish whether administrative functions or another service become accessible.

CVSS severity9.8
Critical
EPSS probability1.76%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Authentication bypass in affected ClearPass Policy Manager 6.8.x, 6.9.x, and 6.10.x releases allows remote attackers to gain access. HPE has not published the affected interface, request path, validation error, or access level granted by the bypass. No credentials or user interaction are required, but the disclosed information does not establish whether administrative functions or another service become accessible.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-40997
Published
Oct 15, 2021
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
Product
HPE Aruba Networking ClearPass Policy Manager
Classifications
Unavailable
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 15, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 4, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=ClearPass Policy Manager 6.10.x prior to 6.10.2 - - ClearPass Policy Manager 6.9.x prior to 6.9.7-HF1 - - ClearPass Policy Manager 6.8.x prior to 6.8.9-HF1

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) · HPE Aruba Networking ClearPass Policy Managerversion=ClearPass Policy Manager 6.10.x prior to 6.10.2 - - ClearPass Policy Manager 6.9.x prior to 6.9.7-HF1 - - ClearPass Policy Manager 6.8.x prior to 6.8.9-HF1

Published CVSS scores

9.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
5.0NIST NVDAV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

No sourced classifications are available.

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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