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CVE Record

CVE-2019-11538: In Pulse Secure Pulse Connect Secure version 9.0RX before 9.0R3.4, 8.3RX before 8.3R7.1, 8.2RX before 8.2R1...

In Pulse Secure Pulse Connect Secure version 9.0RX before 9.0R3.4, 8.3RX before 8.3R7.1, 8.2RX before 8.2R12.1, and 8.1RX before 8.1R15.1, an NFS problem could allow an authenticated attacker to access the contents of arbitrary files on the affected device.

HighCVSS 7.7Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This flaw affects older Pulse Secure Pulse Connect Secure VPN appliances. An authenticated user could read arbitrary files from the device, creating a serious confidentiality risk for an internet-facing remote-access platform.

Executive priority

Treat this as a high-priority VPN confidentiality issue. Patch or retire affected appliances promptly because VPN devices protect access to internal systems and commonly hold sensitive configuration material.

Technical view

CVE-2019-11538 is an NFS-related arbitrary file access issue in Pulse Connect Secure 9.0RX before 9.0R3.4, 8.3RX before 8.3R7.1, 8.2RX before 8.2R12.1, and 8.1RX before 8.1R15.1. CVSS 3.0 is 7.7 with network access, low complexity, and low privileges required.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely where Pulse Connect Secure VPN appliances remain on the affected version branches, especially internet-facing deployments with valid user accounts available to attackers.

Exploitation context

The bundle does not mark this CVE as CISA KEV, so active exploitation is not established here. The vulnerability requires authentication, but successful exploitation could expose sensitive appliance files.

Researcher notes

Key risk is confidentiality loss from arbitrary file access on the appliance by a low-privileged authenticated attacker. The provided affected-product metadata is incomplete, but the description names Pulse Connect Secure versions and fixed release thresholds.

Mitigation direction

  • Upgrade affected Pulse Connect Secure appliances beyond the fixed versions listed in the advisory.
  • Check Pulse Secure or SonicWall guidance for branch-specific remediation instructions.
  • Inventory all VPN appliances, including inactive or legacy remote-access gateways.
  • Reduce unnecessary VPN accounts and disable stale authenticated access.
  • Review appliance backups and rebuild plans for unsupported versions.

Validation and detection

  • Compare appliance versions against 9.0R3.4, 8.3R7.1, 8.2R12.1, and 8.1R15.1 thresholds.
  • Confirm no affected Pulse Connect Secure instance is internet-facing.
  • Review VPN authentication logs for unusual successful logins before remediation.
  • Check vendor advisory status for any required post-upgrade actions.
  • Document remediation evidence in vulnerability management records.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
5

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

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CVE-2019-11538 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
High
CVSS
7.7 (3.0)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.0/AC:L/AV:N/A:N/C:H/I:N/PR:L/S:C/UI:N

Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

1CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
6Source links

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
7.7CVSS 3.0HighCVSS:3.0/AC:L/AV:N/A:N/C:H/I:N/PR:L/S:C/UI:N3.14Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.0 score

7.7High
CVSS 3.0 vector shape for CVE-2019-11538Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.0/AC:L/AV:N/A:N/C:H/I:N/PR:L/S:C/UI:N

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
n/an/an/aListed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.