CVE-2026-79805 Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) CVE debrief

Who should care

Administrators and security teams responsible for ClearPass Policy Manager deployments should assess exposure and apply patches or mitigations. Additionally, security teams should monitor logs for suspicious activity and restrict access to trusted users and networks. IT teams should review and apply patches from Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) for ClearPass Policy Manager and consider implementing compensating to

Why it matters

CVE-2026-79805 is a critical vulnerability in ClearPass Policy Manager that allows authenticated attackers to traverse paths and access or modify files on the underlying operating system. Defenders should prioritize patching, restrict access, and monitor logs to mitigate potential impacts.

• Potential unauthorized file access and modification
• Possible disruption of ClearPass Policy Manager functionality
• Need for patching or mitigation to prevent exploitation
• Requirement for monitoring and logging to detect suspicious activity

Technical summary

An authenticated path traversal vulnerability exists in ClearPass Policy Manager, allowing an attacker to read and modify certain files on the underlying operating system. The vulnerability is caused by inadequate input validation and sanitization of file paths, enabling attackers to bypass security restrictions and access sensitive data. The CVSS score of 9.8 indicates a high severity vulnerability that requires immediate attention.

Defensive priority

High

Recommended defensive actions

• Review and apply patches from Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) for ClearPass Policy Manager
• Restrict access to ClearPass Policy Manager to trusted users and networks
• Monitor ClearPass Policy Manager logs for suspicious activity

Evidence notes

The CVE Program and NVD records indicate an authenticated path traversal vulnerability in ClearPass Policy Manager, allowing unauthorized file access and modification.

Sources and references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.