CVE-2021-21972

CRITICALNVD 9.89.8—
EchelonGraph scoreHIGH confidence

Score elevated to 9.8 because this CVE is listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2021-11-03), indicating real-world exploitation has been confirmed by US federal agencies. NVD baseline CVSS 9.8 retained for reference. Confidence: HIGH.

Triggered by: CISA KEV (actively exploited)
Sources: cisa_kev, epss, ghsa, nvd
Trending — 4 sources updated this weekExploited in the wild
9.8
EchelonGraph verdictPatch nowTreat as an emergency — this is being exploited.
  • Actively exploited in the wild (CISA-KEV)
CISA-KEV: ExploitedEPSS: 100%CVSS: 9.8Exploit: NoneExposed: 0

No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.

The vSphere Client (HTML5) contains a remote code execution vulnerability in a vCenter Server plugin. A malicious actor with network access to port 443 may exploit this issue to execute commands with unrestricted privileges on the underlying operating system that hosts vCenter Server. This affects VMware vCenter Server (7.x before 7.0 U1c, 6.7 before 6.7 U3l and 6.5 before 6.5 U3n) and VMware Cloud Foundation (4.x before 4.2 and 3.x before 3.10.1.2).

CVSS v3
9.8
EG Score
9.8(high)
EG Risk
99(Act)
EG Risk 99/100SSVC: Act

EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).

How it’s computed
Severity98% × 45%
Exploitation100% × 40%
Automatability100% × 15%
Action: Fix now — active exploitation, automatable, high impact.
EPSS
99.9%
KEV
⚠ Exploited

Published

February 24, 2021

Last Modified

October 30, 2025

Advisory Details (3)

Auto-updated Jun 1, 2026
⚠️ Active exploitation confirmed. Patch available. Sources: cisa.
cisa Patch Available🔴 Active Exploitation

Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog | CISA

Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog | CISA. Listed in CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2021-21972
generic

Support Content Notification - Support Portal - Broadcom support portal

https://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2021-0002.html
generic

Packet Storm

http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/161695/VMware-vCenter-Server-File-Upload-Remote-Code-Execution.html

Weakness Classification(2)

MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 38× in last 7d / 185× in last 30d)

Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.

Showing the most recent 100 of 361 total refreshes for this CVE.

  1. 2026-07-24 14:15 UTCEPSS rescore
  2. 2026-07-23 01:57 UTCEG score recompute
  3. 2026-07-22 21:43 UTCEG score recompute
  4. 2026-07-22 21:43 UTCGHSA enrichment
  5. 2026-07-22 19:40 UTCCISA KEV update
  6. 2026-07-22 17:12 UTCGHSA enrichment
  7. 2026-07-22 13:02 UTCGHSA enrichment
  8. 2026-07-22 08:52 UTCGHSA enrichment
  9. 2026-07-22 04:41 UTCGHSA enrichment
  10. 2026-07-22 00:30 UTCGHSA enrichment
  11. 2026-07-21 20:20 UTCGHSA enrichment
  12. 2026-07-21 16:08 UTCEG score recompute
  13. 2026-07-21 16:08 UTCGHSA enrichment
  14. 2026-07-21 15:22 UTCEPSS rescore
  15. 2026-07-21 15:22 UTCEPSS rescore
  16. 2026-07-21 14:37 UTCCISA KEV update
  17. 2026-07-21 11:57 UTCGHSA enrichment
  18. 2026-07-21 07:46 UTCGHSA enrichment
  19. 2026-07-21 03:37 UTCGHSA enrichment
  20. 2026-07-20 23:27 UTCGHSA enrichment
  21. 2026-07-20 19:16 UTCGHSA enrichment
  22. 2026-07-20 15:06 UTCGHSA enrichment
  23. 2026-07-20 10:56 UTCGHSA enrichment
  24. 2026-07-20 06:46 UTCGHSA enrichment
  25. 2026-07-20 02:04 UTCGHSA enrichment
Show 75 more
  1. 2026-07-19 21:52 UTCGHSA enrichment
  2. 2026-07-19 17:42 UTCEG score recompute
  3. 2026-07-19 17:42 UTCGHSA enrichment
  4. 2026-07-19 14:28 UTCEPSS rescore
  5. 2026-07-19 13:31 UTCGHSA enrichment
  6. 2026-07-19 09:20 UTCGHSA enrichment
  7. 2026-07-19 05:10 UTCGHSA enrichment
  8. 2026-07-19 01:00 UTCGHSA enrichment
  9. 2026-07-18 20:50 UTCGHSA enrichment
  10. 2026-07-18 16:39 UTCGHSA enrichment
  11. 2026-07-18 12:29 UTCGHSA enrichment
  12. 2026-07-18 08:19 UTCGHSA enrichment
  13. 2026-07-18 04:09 UTCGHSA enrichment
  14. 2026-07-17 23:59 UTCGHSA enrichment
  15. 2026-07-17 19:49 UTCGHSA enrichment
  16. 2026-07-17 15:39 UTCGHSA enrichment
  17. 2026-07-17 11:29 UTCGHSA enrichment
  18. 2026-07-17 07:19 UTCEG score recompute
  19. 2026-07-17 07:19 UTCGHSA enrichment
  20. 2026-07-17 03:09 UTCGHSA enrichment
  21. 2026-07-16 22:59 UTCGHSA enrichment
  22. 2026-07-16 18:49 UTCGHSA enrichment
  23. 2026-07-16 17:04 UTCCISA KEV update
  24. 2026-07-16 14:39 UTCGHSA enrichment
  25. 2026-07-16 10:29 UTCGHSA enrichment
  26. 2026-07-16 06:18 UTCGHSA enrichment
  27. 2026-07-16 02:07 UTCGHSA enrichment
  28. 2026-07-15 21:57 UTCGHSA enrichment
  29. 2026-07-15 17:46 UTCGHSA enrichment
  30. 2026-07-15 16:55 UTCEPSS rescore
  31. 2026-07-15 16:55 UTCEPSS rescore
  32. 2026-07-15 16:49 UTCCISA KEV update
  33. 2026-07-15 15:04 UTCCISA KEV update
  34. 2026-07-15 13:35 UTCGHSA enrichment
  35. 2026-07-15 09:24 UTCGHSA enrichment
  36. 2026-07-15 05:12 UTCGHSA enrichment
  37. 2026-07-15 01:02 UTCGHSA enrichment
  38. 2026-07-14 20:52 UTCGHSA enrichment
  39. 2026-07-14 18:05 UTCCISA KEV update
  40. 2026-07-14 16:42 UTCGHSA enrichment
  41. 2026-07-14 12:32 UTCGHSA enrichment
  42. 2026-07-14 08:21 UTCGHSA enrichment
  43. 2026-07-14 04:11 UTCGHSA enrichment
  44. 2026-07-14 00:01 UTCGHSA enrichment
  45. 2026-07-13 19:51 UTCGHSA enrichment
  46. 2026-07-13 17:07 UTCCISA KEV update
  47. 2026-07-13 15:41 UTCGHSA enrichment
  48. 2026-07-13 11:31 UTCGHSA enrichment
  49. 2026-07-13 07:21 UTCGHSA enrichment
  50. 2026-07-13 03:09 UTCGHSA enrichment
  51. 2026-07-12 22:58 UTCGHSA enrichment
  52. 2026-07-12 18:47 UTCGHSA enrichment
  53. 2026-07-12 14:37 UTCGHSA enrichment
  54. 2026-07-12 10:27 UTCGHSA enrichment
  55. 2026-07-12 06:16 UTCGHSA enrichment
  56. 2026-07-12 02:04 UTCGHSA enrichment
  57. 2026-07-11 21:54 UTCGHSA enrichment
  58. 2026-07-11 17:44 UTCGHSA enrichment
  59. 2026-07-11 13:34 UTCGHSA enrichment
  60. 2026-07-11 09:21 UTCGHSA enrichment
  61. 2026-07-11 05:10 UTCGHSA enrichment
  62. 2026-07-11 00:59 UTCGHSA enrichment
  63. 2026-07-10 20:49 UTCGHSA enrichment
  64. 2026-07-10 17:52 UTCCISA KEV update
  65. 2026-07-10 16:39 UTCGHSA enrichment
  66. 2026-07-10 12:29 UTCGHSA enrichment
  67. 2026-07-10 08:17 UTCGHSA enrichment
  68. 2026-07-10 04:06 UTCGHSA enrichment
  69. 2026-07-09 23:55 UTCGHSA enrichment
  70. 2026-07-09 19:45 UTCGHSA enrichment
  71. 2026-07-09 15:35 UTCGHSA enrichment
  72. 2026-07-09 11:24 UTCGHSA enrichment
  73. 2026-07-09 07:14 UTCGHSA enrichment
  74. 2026-07-09 03:04 UTCGHSA enrichment
  75. 2026-07-08 22:53 UTCGHSA enrichment

Publicly available exploits

(10 references)

Working exploit code is in the public domain (8 GitHub PoCs) (2 Exploit-DB entries). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.

  • GitHub PoCSchira4396/VcenterKiller
    First seen Oct 4, 2022

    一款针对Vcenter的综合利用工具，包含目前最主流的CVE-2021-21972、CVE-2021-21985以及CVE-2021-22005、One Access的CVE-2022-22954、CVE-2022-22972/31656以及log4j，提供一键上传webshell，命令执行或者上传公钥使用SSH免密连接

    Open source ↗
  • Exploit-DBEDB-50056
    First seen Jun 24, 2021

    VMware vCenter Server 7.0 - Remote Code Execution (RCE) (Unauthenticated)

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCTaroballzChen/CVE-2021-21972
    First seen Mar 7, 2021

    CVE-2021-21972 Unauthorized RCE in VMware vCenter metasploit exploit script

    Open source ↗
  • Exploit-DBEDB-49602
    First seen Mar 1, 2021

    VMware vCenter Server 7.0 - Unauthenticated File Upload

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCGuayoyoCyber/CVE-2021-21972
    First seen Feb 26, 2021

    Nmap script to check vulnerability CVE-2021-21972

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCalt3kx/CVE-2021-21972
    First seen Feb 25, 2021
    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCmilo2012/CVE-2021-21972
    First seen Feb 25, 2021

    CVE-2021-21972

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCconjojo/VMware_vCenter_UNAuthorized_RCE_CVE-2021-21972
    First seen Feb 25, 2021

    VMware vCenter 未授权RCE（CVE-2021-21972）

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCNS-Sp4ce/CVE-2021-21972
    First seen Feb 24, 2021

    CVE-2021-21972 Exploit

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoChorizon3ai/CVE-2021-21972
    First seen Feb 24, 2021

    Proof of Concept Exploit for vCenter CVE-2021-21972

    Open source ↗

Related CVEs(same CWE)

Frequently asked(6)

What is CVE-2021-21972?
CVE-2021-21972 is a critical vulnerability published on February 24, 2021. The vSphere Client (HTML5) contains a remote code execution vulnerability in a vCenter Server plugin. A malicious actor with network access to port 443 may exploit this issue to execute commands with unrestricted privileges on the underlying operating system that hosts vCenter Server. This affects…
When was CVE-2021-21972 disclosed?
CVE-2021-21972 was first published in the National Vulnerability Database on February 24, 2021, with the most recent update on October 30, 2025. EchelonGraph re-ingests CVE updates from NVD on a 2-hour cycle, so this page reflects the latest published state.
Is CVE-2021-21972 actively exploited?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2021-21972 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on November 3, 2021, affecting VMware vCenter Server. KEV listing indicates confirmed exploitation in the wild; this CVE warrants immediate patching attention.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-21972?
CVE-2021-21972 has a CVSS v3 base score of 9.8 (NVD).
Which products are affected by CVE-2021-21972?
CVE-2021-21972 affects VMware vCenter Server. The full affected-products list, including version ranges and fixed versions, is shown in the Affected Packages section of this page.
How do I remediate CVE-2021-21972?
Patch to the fixed version published by the affected vendor. Where vendor advisories exist for CVE-2021-21972, EchelonGraph cross-links them in the Vendor Advisories panel below — those typically contain the canonical remediation steps, fixed version numbers, and any vendor-specific mitigations.

Dependency Blast Radius

Explore the affected products and dependency analysis for CVE-2021-21972

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