Exploited Ransomware

CVE-2023-46805

Ivanti Connect Secure / Policy Secure (ex-Pulse Secure) · Firewalls, VPNs and remote access

Ivanti Connect Secure and Policy Secure Authentication Bypass Vulnerability

At a glance

Exploited. Added to CISA’s catalog of exploited vulnerabilities on January 10, 2024.

Used in ransomware attacks, according to CISA.

Affected product: Ivanti Connect Secure / Policy Secure (ex-Pulse Secure) (category Firewalls, VPNs and remote access, indicative classification). Name in CISA’s catalog: Ivanti Connect Secure and Policy Secure.

What should I do?

Apply the patches or mitigations from Ivanti; if none are available, stop using the product.

Deadline set by CISA for US federal agencies: 12 days (due January 22, 2024). It only binds those agencies, but it is a useful measure of urgency.

Ivanti security advisories page (general page, not the advisory for this vulnerability)
The vendor’s specific advisory is listed in the NVD references: CVE-2023-46805 on the NVD website.

Original text of the required action (CISA)

Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

Timeline

January 10, 2024 Exploitation confirmed Added to CISA’s KEV catalog
January 12, 2024 Vulnerability published Publication date (NVD)
January 22, 2024 CISA deadline Remediation deadline set for US federal agencies

The facts, with their sources

Exploitation confirmed: Yes, on January 10, 2024 Date added to the catalog of exploited vulnerabilities. Exploitation itself may have started earlier. Source: KEV catalog, collected September 29, 2026 at 14:57 UTC
Ransomware: Known use Source: KEV catalog, collected September 29, 2026 at 14:57 UTC
Hunt for compromise: Not requested by CISA Source: KEV catalog, collected September 29, 2026 at 14:57 UTC
CISA required action: Apply the patches or mitigations from Ivanti; if none are available, stop using the product. Rewritten by this site from CISA’s original text. Source: KEV catalog, collected September 29, 2026 at 14:57 UTC
CISA deadline: January 22, 2024, 12 days Set for US federal agencies: a measure of urgency, not an obligation elsewhere. Source: KEV catalog, collected September 29, 2026 at 14:57 UTC
Vulnerability published: January 12, 2024 Source: National Vulnerability Database (NVD), collected September 29, 2026 at 15:00 UTC
Product according to CISA: Ivanti Connect Secure and Policy Secure Filed by this site under “Firewalls, VPNs and remote access” (indicative classification). Source: KEV catalog, collected September 29, 2026 at 14:57 UTC
CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N Technical detail of the score: attack vector, complexity, impact. Source: National Vulnerability Database (NVD), collected September 29, 2026 at 15:00 UTC

Severity and activity

8.2 / 10 CVSS severity: high

Score from the NVD. Collected Sep 29, 2026.

— Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS)

FIRST’s EPSS model. Since exploitation is already confirmed, this figure is mostly useful to compare activity. Collected Sep 29, 2026.

Description

An authentication bypass vulnerability in the web component of Ivanti ICS 9.x, 22.x and Ivanti Policy Secure allows a remote attacker to access restricted resources by bypassing control checks.

Ivanti Connect Secure (ICS, formerly known as Pulse Connect Secure) and Ivanti Policy Secure gateways contain an authentication bypass vulnerability in the web component that allows an attacker to access restricted resources by bypassing control checks. This vulnerability can be leveraged in conjunction with CVE-2024-21887, a command injection vulnerability.

Summary from CISA (KEV catalog).

CERT-FR advisories

CERTFR-2024-ALE-001: [MàJ] Multiples vulnérabilités dans Ivanti Connect Secure et Policy Secure Gateways (updated April 15, 2024)

Information reused under the Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab); the date of last update is shown for each advisory. This site is neither affiliated with nor endorsed by ANSSI.

Sources for this page

CISA KEV catalog: exploitation, date added, required action, deadline, ransomware.
NVD (NIST): CVSS severity, publication date, description, vendor references.
EPSS (FIRST): probability of exploitation.
CERT-FR: advisories and alerts (in French).
Brand and category: indicative classification by this site (method).