📄 Description (English)
Ivanti Pulse Connect Secure Use-After-Free Vulnerability — Ivanti Pulse Connect Secure contains a use-after-free vulnerability that allow a remote, unauthenticated attacker to execute code via license services.
🤖 AI Executive Summary
CVE-2021-22893 is a critical use-after-free vulnerability in Ivanti Pulse Connect Secure that allows unauthenticated remote code execution through license services. With a CVSS score of 9.0 and publicly available exploits, this vulnerability poses an immediate threat to organizations using Pulse Connect Secure for remote access. Urgent patching is required as the vulnerability requires no authentication and can be exploited from the network perimeter.
📄 Description (Arabic)
🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: Apr 20, 2026 01:20
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
This vulnerability critically impacts Saudi organizations relying on Ivanti Pulse Connect Secure for remote workforce access, particularly affecting: (1) Banking sector (SAMA-regulated institutions) — potential compromise of VPN infrastructure protecting financial systems; (2) Government agencies (NCA oversight) — risk to classified network access and administrative systems; (3) Energy sector (ARAMCO and subsidiaries) — threat to operational technology network access; (4) Telecommunications (STC, Mobily) — compromise of employee remote access infrastructure; (5) Healthcare institutions — disruption of telemedicine and administrative systems. The unauthenticated nature makes this exploitable against perimeter-facing systems without requiring valid credentials.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Banking and Financial Services
Government and Public Administration
Energy and Utilities
Telecommunications
Healthcare
Education
Manufacturing
🎯 MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
9.2
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
IMMEDIATE ACTIONS:
1. Identify all Ivanti Pulse Connect Secure instances in your environment and document versions
2. Isolate or restrict network access to Pulse Connect Secure license services (port 7002) from untrusted networks
3. Enable enhanced logging on license service components
4. Monitor for suspicious connections to license service ports
PATCHING GUIDANCE:
1. Apply Ivanti security updates immediately — versions 9.1.x, 9.0.x, and 8.3.x have patches available
2. Prioritize patching for internet-facing instances
3. Test patches in non-production environment first
4. Schedule maintenance window for production deployment
COMPENSATING CONTROLS (if immediate patching not possible):
1. Implement network segmentation — restrict access to Pulse Connect Secure to authorized IP ranges only
2. Deploy WAF/IPS rules to detect exploitation attempts against license services
3. Implement rate limiting on license service endpoints
4. Use VPN access controls to limit who can reach the appliance
DETECTION RULES:
1. Monitor for unexpected connections to port 7002 (license service)
2. Alert on license service process crashes or restarts
3. Detect unusual memory access patterns in license service processes
4. Monitor for POST requests to license service endpoints from non-standard clients
5. Track failed license validation attempts followed by successful connections
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. تحديد جميع نسخ Ivanti Pulse Connect Secure في بيئتك وتوثيق الإصدارات
2. عزل أو تقييد الوصول إلى خدمات الترخيص (المنفذ 7002) من الشبكات غير الموثوقة
3. تفعيل السجلات المحسّنة على مكونات خدمة الترخيص
4. مراقبة الاتصالات المريبة بمنافذ خدمة الترخيص
إرشادات التصحيح:
1. تطبيق تحديثات أمان Ivanti فوراً — الإصدارات 9.1.x و 9.0.x و 8.3.x لديها تصحيحات متاحة
2. إعطاء الأولوية لتصحيح النسخ المواجهة للإنترنت
3. اختبار التصحيحات في بيئة غير الإنتاج أولاً
4. جدولة نافذة صيانة لنشر الإنتاج
الضوابط البديلة (إذا لم يكن التصحيح الفوري ممكناً):
1. تنفيذ تقسيم الشبكة — تقييد الوصول إلى Pulse Connect Secure للنطاقات المصرح بها فقط
2. نشر قواعد WAF/IPS للكشف عن محاولات الاستغلال
3. تنفيذ تحديد معدل على نقاط نهاية خدمة الترخيص
4. استخدام ضوابط الوصول VPN لتحديد من يمكنه الوصول إلى الجهاز
قواعد الكشف:
1. مراقبة الاتصالات غير المتوقعة بالمنفذ 7002
2. تنبيهات على أعطال أو إعادة تشغيل عملية خدمة الترخيص
3. الكشف عن أنماط الوصول غير العادية للذاكرة
4. مراقبة طلبات POST غير القياسية
5. تتبع محاولات التحقق من الترخيص الفاشلة
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
ECC 2024 A.12.6.1 — Management of technical vulnerabilities
ECC 2024 A.12.2.1 — Change management procedures
ECC 2024 A.13.1.3 — Segregation of networks
ECC 2024 A.14.2.1 — Incident management procedures
🔵 SAMA CSF
SAMA CSF ID.RA-1 — Asset management and vulnerability identification
SAMA CSF PR.IP-12 — Security patch management
SAMA CSF DE.CM-1 — Detection and analysis of anomalies
SAMA CSF RS.MI-1 — Incident containment
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
ISO 27001:2022 A.12.3.1 — Patch management
ISO 27001:2022 A.12.6.1 — Management of technical vulnerabilities
ISO 27001:2022 A.13.1.3 — Segregation of networks
ISO 27001:2022 A.8.1.1 — Inventory of assets
🟣 PCI DSS v4.0
PCI DSS 6.2 — Security patch management
PCI DSS 11.2 — Vulnerability scanning
PCI DSS 1.3 — Network segmentation
🔗 References & Sources 0
No references.
📦 Affected Products / CPE 1 entries
Ivanti:Pulse Connect Secure