PVWA common issues and there troubleshooting

CyberArk Password Vault Web Access (PVWA) is a critical component of the CyberArk
PAM solution, providing a web-based interface for managing privileged accounts.
Below are common PVWA-related issues and troubleshooting steps:

1. PVWA Login Issues

• Issue: Users cannot log in to PVWA.

• Troubleshooting:

• Check User Credentials: Ensure the user is using valid credentials. If

LDAP/Active Directory (AD) is integrated, verify the AD account status (e.g., not
locked or disabled).

• Vault Permissions: Ensure the user has the correct permissions and
rights in the CyberArk Vault.

• Authentication Methods: Confirm if Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is

enabled, and check if MFA tokens are working correctly.

• Browser Issues: Clear browser cache and cookies, or try a different

browser to rule out client-side issues.

• IIS Issues: Check if the IIS service on the PVWA server is running. If
not, restart the IIS service using iisreset.

• Logs: Review the PVWA logs (located in the PVWA server at

PasswordVault\Logs) for specific error messages.

2. Slow or Unresponsive PVWA

• Issue: PVWA is slow or becomes unresponsive.

• Troubleshooting:

• Server Resources: Check the PVWA server’s CPU, memory, and disk
utilization. High resource consumption can affect performance.

• Network Latency: Measure network latency between the client and the
PVWA server, as slow networks can cause delayed responses.

• IIS Configuration: Ensure IIS is configured correctly with appropriate

limits for request timeouts and application pool settings.

• Vault Communication: Verify connectivity between the PVWA server and

the vault server. Use ping or telnet to test the connection.

• Session Timeout: Ensure session timeout settings are appropriate for

your environment (adjust in web.config if needed).

• Logs: Check for bottlenecks or errors in PVWA and IIS logs.

3. Permission Denied Errors

 • Issue: Users get a “Permission Denied” error when trying to access
certain vault objects or accounts.

• Troubleshooting:

• Access Control: Ensure the user has the correct vault permissions.
Review the user’s safe access permissions (Read, Write, Retrieve, List).

• LDAP Sync Issues: If using LDAP, verify that the user’s group
membership in AD is properly synced with CyberArk vault permissions.

• Safe Configuration: Ensure the safe is correctly configured to allow

access for the specific user or group.

• Logs: Check the PVWA logs for permission-related errors, such as Access
Denied.

4. PVWA Not Loading or Showing a Blank Page

• Issue: PVWA page does not load or shows a blank screen after logging
in.

• Troubleshooting:

• Browser Issues: Clear browser cache and cookies, or try another

browser. Ensure that the browser version is supported by PVWA.

• IIS Configuration: Restart the IIS service (iisreset), and ensure all
application pools are running correctly.

• SSL Certificate: Verify that the SSL certificate on the PVWA server is
valid and not expired if accessing via HTTPS.

• Web.config: Check the web.config file on the PVWA server for

misconfigurations or syntax errors.

• Logs: Look at the PVWA logs (PasswordVault\Logs) and IIS logs (C:\
inetpub\logs\LogFiles\) for errors related to page rendering or script failures.

5. Connection to Vault Failed

• Issue: PVWA cannot connect to the vault.

• Troubleshooting:

• Network Connectivity: Test the connection from the PVWA server to the
vault server using ping or telnet to ensure network reachability.

• Firewall Rules: Check if there are any firewall rules or security

groups blocking traffic between PVWA and the vault on the required port (default
port: 1858).

• Vault Configuration: Verify that the Vault.ini file on the PVWA server
has the correct vault IP address or hostname.

• Credential Provider: Confirm that the CyberArk Credential Provider is

properly configured to allow PVWA access to the vault.

• Logs: Check the PVWA logs for detailed connection errors.

6. Account Discovery Fails via PVWA

• Issue: Account discovery through PVWA fails or does not return expected
results.

• Troubleshooting:

• Discovery Rules: Ensure the discovery rule is correctly configured in

PVWA to target the right systems and accounts.

• Permissions: Verify that the account being used for discovery has the
necessary permissions on the target systems.

• Network Access: Ensure PVWA can communicate with the target systems
(ping or telnet to check).

• Logs: Review the PVWA logs for errors or issues during account
discovery.

7. Vault Certificate Expired

• Issue: PVWA displays certificate-related errors because the vault

certificate has expired.

• Troubleshooting:

• Renew Certificate: Replace the expired certificate on the vault server

and ensure it is trusted by the PVWA server.

• Certificate Trust: Import the updated vault certificate into the

trusted certificate store on the PVWA server.

• Restart IIS: After updating the certificate, restart the IIS service on
the PVWA server to apply the changes.

8. Error Loading Dashboard or Safe Views

• Issue: Dashboard or safe view fails to load or shows incomplete data.

• Troubleshooting:

• Data Corruption: Check for any data integrity issues in the vault.
Rebuild the dashboard/safe view if necessary.

• Cache Issues: Clear the cache and refresh the dashboard. Clear browser
cache as well.
 • Access Rights: Ensure that the user has appropriate access rights to
view dashboard data or safe contents.

• Logs: Look into PVWA and vault logs for related errors.

9. Backup and Restore Issues

• Issue: PVWA fails to back up or restore data properly.

• Troubleshooting:

• Backup Policy: Ensure backup policies and paths are properly configured
in PVWA.

• Disk Space: Verify that there is enough disk space on the backup
destination.

• Permissions: Check that the user executing the backup has sufficient
permissions in the vault and file system.

10. Integration Issues with External Tools (LDAP, SIEM, etc.)

• Issue: Integration with LDAP, SIEM, or other external tools fails.

• Troubleshooting:

• LDAP: Ensure the LDAP connection is properly configured and that the
bind account has sufficient privileges.

• SIEM: Verify the SIEM integration settings and ensure logs are properly
forwarded to the SIEM server.

• API Permissions: For any API-related integrations, ensure that API keys
and user permissions are correctly configured.

By following these troubleshooting steps, you can quickly identify and resolve
common PVWA-related issues, ensuring a smooth and secure PAM environment.