# CVE-2021-22900: Ivanti Pulse Connect Secure Unrestricted File Upload

> An authenticated administrator can upload malicious archives to write files, potentially leading to code execution on Pulse Connect Secure devices.

- **Severity:** High 7.2 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Yes, since 3 Nov 2021 (CISA KEV)
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 27 May 2021
- **Updated:** 21 Oct 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-j8cw-m86f-rxgw

## What is CVE-2021-22900?

CVE-2021-22900 is a high-severity vulnerability in Ivanti Connect Secure, published on 27 May 2021. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability allowed multiple unrestricted uploads in Pulse Connect Secure before 9.1R11.4 that could lead to an authenticated administrator to perform a file write via a maliciously crafted archive upload in the administrator web interface.

Weakness: CWE-669 (Incorrect Resource Transfer Between Spheres), CWE-94 (Improper Control of Generation of Code)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-22900?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Ivanti Connect Secure, Pulsesecure Pulse Connect Secure.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-22900?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-22900 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available. US federal agencies must fix it by 3 May 2022.

## Is CVE-2021-22900 being exploited?

Yes. Attackers have exploited CVE-2021-22900 in the wild since at least 3 Nov 2021.

## Other vulnerabilities in Ivanti Connect Secure

- [CVE-2021-22893](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-22893/): Ivanti Pulse Connect Secure Use-After-Free (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2019-11510](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-11510/): Ivanti Pulse Connect Secure Arbitrary File Read (critical 9.9, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-21887](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-21887/): Ivanti Connect Secure and Policy Secure Command Injection (critical 9.1, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-22457](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-22457/): Ivanti Connect Secure, Policy Secure, and ZTA Gateways Stack-Based Buffer Overflow (critical 9.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-0282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-0282/): Ivanti Connect Secure, Policy Secure, and ZTA Gateways Stack-Based Buffer Overflow (critical 9.0, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-22900 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-22900 is a high-severity vulnerability in Ivanti Connect Secure, published on 27 May 2021. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: Yes. Attackers have exploited CVE-2021-22900 in the wild since at least 3 Nov 2021.

Affected product: Ivanti Connect Secure. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-22900/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-22900/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-22900
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-22900
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-22900

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-22900/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.