Multiple vulnerabilities were discovered and have been resolved in Pulse Connect Secure (PCS) and Pulse Policy Secure (PPS).  This includes an authentication by-pass vulnerability that can allow an unauthenticated user to perform a remote arbitrary file access on the Pulse Connect Secure gateway. This advisory also includes a remote code execution vulnerability that can allow an authenticated administrator to perform remote code execution on Pulse Connect Secure and Pulse Policy Secure gateways. Many of these vulnerabilities have a critical CVSS score and pose significant risk to your deployment. We strongly recommend to upgrade to the corresponding version with the fix as soon as possible.CVE have been requested and will be updated in the future.

Refer to KB43892 – What releases will Pulse Secure apply fixes to resolve security vulnerabilities? per our End of Engineering (EOE) and End of Life (EOL) policies.

The table below provides details of the vulnerabilities and the affected and not affected products:

Affected Versions:

• Pulse Connect Secure 9.0R1 – 9.0R3.3
• Pulse Connect Secure 8.3R1 – 8.3R7
• Pulse Connect Secure 8.2R1 – 8.2R12
• Pulse Connect Secure 8.1R1 – 8.1R15
• Pulse Policy Secure 9.0R1 – 9.0R3.3
• Pulse Policy Secure 5.4R1 – 5.4R7
• Pulse Policy Secure 5.3R1 – 5.3R12
• Pulse Policy Secure 5.2R1 – 5.2R12
• Pulse Policy Secure 5.1R1 – 5.1R15

Not Affected:

• Pulse Connect Secure 9.1R1 (9.1.1.1505) and above
• Pulse Connect Secure 9.0R4 (9.0.4.64055) & 9.0R3.4 (9.0.3.64053)
• Pulse Connect Secure 8.3R7.1 (8.3.7.65025)
• Pulse Connect Secure 8.2R12.1 (8.2.12.64003)
• Pulse Connect Secure 8.1R15.1 (8.1.15.59747)
• Pulse Policy Secure 9.1R1 (9.1.1.1231) and above
• Pulse Policy Secure 9.0R4 (9.0.4.51871) & 9.0R3.2 (9.0.3.51873)
• Pulse Policy Secure 5.4R7.1 (5.4.7.51119)
• Pulse Policy Secure 5.3R12.1 (5.3.12.50975)
• Pulse Policy Secure 5.2R12.1 (5.2.12.50765)
• Pulse Policy Secure 5.1R15.1 (5.1.15.50767)

The solution for these vulnerabilities is to upgrade your Pulse Connect Secure and Pulse Policy Secure server software version to the corresponding version that has the fix. The following table provides guidance on the software you should deploy depending on current software version.

Exploitation and Announcements:

These vulnerabilities described in this advisory was found and properly disclosed by security researchers on March 22, 2019.

Pulse Secure PSIRT is aware of existence of exploit code that can demonstrate these vulnerabilities. Pulse Secure is strongly recommending to upgrade to the patched software as soon as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

Question 1: Can I delay the upgrade and upgrade to the next major release instead?
Answer: No, Pulse Secure recommends to upgrade to the corresponding version with the fix as soon as possible. 

Question 2: Where can I find and download the security patches for CVE-2019-11510 vulnerability?
Answer: All security patches are available from the Download Center at https://my.pulsesecure.net.  For instructions to download software, please refer to KB40028 – [Customer Support Tools] How to download software / firmware for Pulse Secure products using the Licensing & Download Center at my.pulsesecure.net

Question 3: Will the device reboot after upgrading to the fix version?
Answer: Yes, once you upgrade your device it will automatically get rebooted.

Question 4: Do I need to upgrade client components (including Pulse Desktop Client, Network Connect, WSAM, Terminal Services) on my Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, or IOS endpoints?
Answer:

For Pulse Desktop Client or Pulse Mobile (for iOS and Android)

• Upgrade of these client components are not required.

Note: Pulse Desktop Clients will upgrade on the end points if the PCS/PPS server side configuration is set to “Auto-Upgrade” with a higher Pulse Desktop Client package set to Active. To avoid upgrading the Pulse Desktop Client, please upload the equivalent Pulse Desktop Client version and mark as Active.

For WSAM, Network Connect, Host Checker, and Terminal Services customers

• The client will be upgraded as part of the server upgrade. If client machines do not have administrator privileges, ensure Pulse Secure Installer Service is installed or have the required privileges/rights.

Question 5: How do I upgrade Pulse Connect Secure / Pulse Policy Secure to resolve this vulnerability?
Answer:  Download a fixed version of the Pulse Connect Secure or Pulse Policy Secure available from the Licensing & Download Center at https://my.pulsesecure.net.  For upgrade documentation, please refer to:

• Upgrade PCS Cluster
• Upgrade PCS Standalone Device

For additional FAQ and upgrade recommendations, refer to KB23051.

Question 6: Is there any workaround to fix this vulnerability temporarily?
Answer: No, there is no workaround. Pulse Secure is strongly recommending for administrator to upgrade their devices to fixed versions.

Question 7:  I do not have access to my.pulsesecure.net to download the recommended PCS/PPS version.
Answer: Please refer KB40031 to Onboarding at my.pulsesecure.net. If you face any issue, please contact Pulse Secure Global Support Center.

Question 8: Does Pulse Secure recommend to take any additional precautionary action after upgrading to the patched software?
Answer: As a precautionary measure, Pulse Secure recommends the following steps:

1. Any end user and administrator passwords used to login to the device should be changed.
2. Any service account passwords stored on the device (LDAP, RADIUS, AD, etc.) should be changed.
3. Replace device certificates(s) by generating a new certificate signing request (CSR) on the device.
4. If TOTP Auth Server is configured on the appliance, administrator needs to reset the TOTP users to register again. Refer KB41050 for details.

Question 9: After upgrading to the patched version, Qualys and Tenable is still showing the device as vulnerable?
Answer: Qualys and Tenable are parsing the version number and does not properly confirm the issue.  Pulse Secure is working with both vendors to properly detect the issue.  If the device is running a patched version, CVE-2019-11510 is no longer applicable.

Document History:
April 24, 2019 – Initial advisory posted and software was posted to the Download Center.
April 25, 2019

– CVE-2019-11510, CVE-2019-11509, CVE-2019-11508, CVE-2019-11507, CVE-2019-11543, CVE-2019-11542, CVE-2019-11541, CVE-2019-11540, CVE-2019-11539, CVE-2019-11538 were assigned. Workaround provided for CVE-2019-11508.
July 26, 2019 – Adding information about 9.1RX
July 30, 2019 – Change description verbiage for CVE-2019-11538
August 17, 2019 – Updated details for CVE-2019-11510 as 8.1RX and below are not directly impacted
August 20, 2019 – Updated verbiage for the description of CVE-2019-11540 and CVE-2019-11510
October 17, 2019 – Updated the recommendation to reset the TOTP Users.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER

• THIS ADVISORY IS PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” BASIS AND DOES NOT IMPLY ANY KIND OF GUARANTEE OR WARRANTY, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  USE OF THIS INFORMATION FOUND IN THIS ADVISORY OR IN MATERIALS LINKED HEREFROM IS AT THE USER’S OWN RISK.  PULSE SECURE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE OR UPDATE THIS ADVISORY AT ANY TIME.
• A STANDALONE COPY OR PARAPHRASE OF THE TEXT OF THIS ADVISORY THAT OMITS THE DISTRIBUTION URL IS AN UNCONTROLLED COPY AND MAY OMIT IMPORTANT INFORMATION OR CONTAIN ERRORS.  THE INFORMATION IN THIS ADVISORY IS INTENDED FOR END USERS OF PULSE SECURE PRODUCTS.

CVE-2019-11508 and CVE-2019-11538 can be mitigated by disabling File Share feature on the Pulse Connect Secure device.There are no workarounds that address the other vulnerabilities.

• Orange Tsai and Meh Chang from DEVCORE research team
• Jake Valletta from FireEye