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Threats / Ivanti / CVE-2019-11510
CVE-2019-11510 · EUVD no mirror located · GCVE no mirror located Verified 2026-06-16

Ivanti Pulse Connect Secure vulnerability

Ivanti Pulse Connect Secure contains an arbitrary file read vulnerability allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to access sensitive files via crafted HTTPS requests.

Verdict

Today item, not a backlog item.

An unauthenticated attacker can read arbitrary files on affected Pulse Connect Secure instances without authentication. This vulnerability has been actively exploited in ransomware campaigns and poses critical risk to VPN infrastructure.

CISA KEV Yes · 2021-11-033Ransomware use Flagged3EPSS 0.99999 (verify live)4Exploit Weaponized · public PoC5
01

Is it exploitable?

— the evidence, ranked above the score
Exploit available
Fully weaponized — public exploit code is cataloged for this vulnerability.We link the existence of the exploit; we do not host or redistribute payloads.
Reported exploitation
912 independent public reports of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2021-11-03), flagged for known ransomware use.
CISA KEV ↗Confirmed
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.99999 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
Affected: Ivanti, Pulse Connect Secure. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.
NVD ↗Reported
Weakness (CWE)
Mapped to CWE-22 Path Traversal — weakness family: Path traversal / file.CWE assignment from the public NVD record; the weakness class drives how the flaw is exploited.
NVD ↗Reported
WeaknessCWE-22 · Path TraversalPath traversal / file
02

Who’s exploiting it?

— attribution turns risk into urgency
Attribution not established

No threat-actor attribution is established from the public feed for this record. Absence of a named actor is not absence of compromise — see Coverage & confidence.

03

Why it matters

— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board
1

Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1

Attacker
I craft a malicious URI targeting path traversal sequences to bypass file access restrictions on the Pulse Connect Secure appliance.
Business
Sensitive configuration files, credentials, and system data become accessible to unauthenticated threat actors.
2

Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2

Attacker
I extract authentication tokens, encryption keys, and user credentials from readable system files to escalate my access.
Business
Compromised credentials enable lateral movement and persistent access to protected corporate networks and resources.
3

Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3

Attacker
I use obtained credentials and system information to deploy ransomware payloads across the internal network.
Business
Critical business systems are encrypted and held for ransom, causing operational shutdown and financial extortion losses.
04

What to do

— defensible action
  • Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
05

Coverage & confidence

— what we know, and what we don’t

Established (cited)

  • KEV listing (CISA)
  • Ransomware-use flag (CISA)
  • EPSS probability (FIRST)
  • Weaponized exploit available (VulnCheck)
  • 912 reported-exploitation source(s)
  • CWE weakness mapping (NVD)
  • Public exploit availability
  • Catalogued by mitre (CNA)
  • Coverage gaps — stated, not hidden

  • No EUVD / GCVE mirror in feed — single-authority dependency for the identifier.
  • EPSS & exposure are time-varying; verify live at the source.
  • Threat-actor attribution not established from feed data — absence of a name is not absence of compromise.
  • No finder/reporter credit recorded in the public CVE entry — the work behind this find is unattributed.
  • Disclosure & credit2
    Catalogued by mitreCNA
    Credited with finding itNo finder named in the public CVE record — the work behind this find is unattributed.