Cyber Resilience

CVE-2021-22899

RCE in Ivanti Connect Secure 9.0 … 9.1

CISA KEVActive ExploitationEUVD ExploitedRCECommand Injection
Published
27 May 2021
Modified
18 December 2025
KEV Added
03 November 2021
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 8.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.22 97th percentile
Risk Priority 90 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2021-22899 is a high-severity Command Injection (CWE-77) vulnerability in Ivanti Connect Secure. Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Command and Scripting Interpreter (T1059); ranked in the top 3% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

A command injection vulnerability tracked as CVE-2021-22899 affects Pulse Connect Secure versions prior to 9.1R11.4. The flaw resides in the Windows Resource Profiles feature and is classified under CWE-77, enabling an attacker to inject and execute arbitrary operating-system commands.

A remote attacker who has already authenticated to the appliance can exploit the issue over the network without user interaction. Successful exploitation grants the attacker full remote code execution with the privileges of the vulnerable process, resulting in complete confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact as reflected by the CVSS 8.8 score.

The vendor advisory SA44784 recommends upgrading to Pulse Connect Secure 9.1R11.4 or later to remediate the flaw. The vulnerability is also listed in CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, confirming observed in-the-wild exploitation.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

A command injection vulnerability exists in Pulse Connect Secure before 9.1R11.4 allows a remote authenticated attacker to perform remote code execution via Windows Resource Profiles Feature

CWE(s)
KEV Date Added
03 November 2021

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter Execution
Adversaries may abuse command and script interpreters to execute commands, scripts, or binaries.
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
T1059.001 PowerShell Execution
Adversaries may abuse PowerShell commands and scripts for execution.
T1059.003 Windows Command Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse the Windows command shell for execution.
T1059.004 Unix Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse Unix shell commands and scripts for execution.
T1059.008 Network Device CLI Execution
Adversaries may abuse scripting or built-in command line interpreters (CLI) on network devices to execute malicious command and payloads.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2024-21887Same product: Ivanti Connect Secureboth on KEV
CVE-2021-22894Same product: Ivanti Connect Secureboth on KEV
CVE-2020-8260Same product: Ivanti Connect Secureboth on KEV
CVE-2021-22893Same product: Ivanti Connect Secureboth on KEV
CVE-2019-11510Same product: Ivanti Connect Secureboth on KEV
CVE-2024-11634Same product: Ivanti Connect Secure
CVE-2024-11633Same product: Ivanti Connect Secure
CVE-2020-8243Same product: Ivanti Connect Secureboth on KEV
CVE-2025-22467Same product: Ivanti Connect Secure
CVE-2024-37400Same product: Ivanti Connect Secure

Affected Assets

ivanti
connect secure
9.0, 9.1

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.2.3
  • V1.2.5
  • V1.2.8
  • V1.2.9

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly require input validation and neutralization that prevent command injection.

DE.CM-09 partial match
prevents

Runtime monitoring of software and data can detect anomalous command execution resulting from injection.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Identifying recorded vulnerabilities enables remediation of command-injection flaws before exploitation.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

prevents

Secure coding standards require proper escaping and parameterization of commands, directly eliminating CWE-77.

finds

Security testing in development catches command-injection vulnerabilities before release.

prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates input validation and command construction practices that directly prevent command injection.

prevents

Application security requirements explicitly call for controls against injection flaws including command injection.

prevents

Secure architecture principles reduce the attack surface but do not prescribe the specific neutralization techniques needed.

none

Environment separation limits the blast radius of an exploited command injection but does not prevent the flaw itself.

References