CVE-2021-34473

CRITICALNVD 9.89.8
EchelonGraph scoreHIGH confidence

“—” beside the score: it is equal to NVD's CVSS score.

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 Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, EPSS, GitHub Security Advisory, NVD CVSS v3
Trending — 4 sources updated this weekExploited in the wild

Also known asEUVD-2021-21128 (ENISA EUVD) · GHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc (GitHub Security Advisories)Source: ENISA EUVD

9.8EG
EchelonGraph verdictPatch nowTreat as an emergency — this is being exploited.
  • Actively exploited in the wild (CISA-KEV) — the reason this is sooner than the SSVC decision on this page at low mission impact
CISA-KEV: ExploitedEPSS PROB: >99.9%CVSS: 9.8Exploit: Metasploit · other public PoCExposed services: Not assessed

A fix is available — apply it.

Microsoft Exchange Server Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

CVSS v3
9.8
EG Score
9.8CRITICALhigh confidence
EG Risk
99
EG Risk 99/100

EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score. It fuses impact severity (EG Severity, the CVSS base score, never the KEV-floored or EPSS-lifted EG Score) with real-world exploitation and automatability, under weights EchelonGraph set by hand, so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner.

How it’s computed (value × EchelonGraph’s weight)
Severity98% × 45%
Impact severity (EG Severity): CVSS 9.8 of 10. Never the KEV-floored or EPSS-lifted EG Score.
Exploitation100% × 40%
Fixed at 100% for a CISA KEV listing: EchelonGraph's rule.
Automatability100% × 15%
CISA's SSVC Automatable value: yes (Vulnrichment).
SSVC (CISA's decision table, applied by EchelonGraph): Attend at low mission impact; Act at medium or high.
Exploitation active (CISA Vulnrichment) · Automatable yes (CISA Vulnrichment) · Technical impact total (CISA Vulnrichment). All three are CISA's SSVC values (Vulnrichment). EchelonGraph applied CISA's decision table to them; CISA publishes SSVC inputs and the table, not a decision for each CVE.
Action: A fix is available. Apply it sooner than your standard update timelines at low mission impact and as soon as possible at medium or high.
EPSS PROB
>99.9%
EPSS %ILE
99th
KEV
⚠ Exploited

What the EG score is made of (scorer v4.0: the three questions the 0–10 score mixes, published apart · methodology)

The EG score (9.8): severity, escalated by confirmed exploitation. This CVE's 9.8 is its impact severity (EG Severity), not escalated.

EG Severity
9.8 CRITICALCVSS-B, impact only: no KEV listing, EPSS or EG-KEV tier raises it.GitHub Security Advisory CVSS
EG Likelihood
>99.9% within 30 daysSource: FIRST EPSS (model v2026.06.15, score date 2026-11-01). FIRST's exploitation probability, not an EchelonGraph model.
Confirmed exploitation
CISA KEV and EG-KEV Tier 1 (exploited in the wild)Reported apart from the likelihood: an observed fact, not a probability.
EG Priority
SSVC Act at medium mission impactAttend at low mission impact; Act at medium or high.CISA BOD 26-04: 3 days & forensic triage if the affected system is publicly exposed; 3 days & forensic triage if it is not.Each input and its source, and whom BOD 26-04 binds: the SSVC and BOD 26-04 blocks below.

SSVC (CISA's decision table, applied by EchelonGraph)Attend at low mission impact; Act at medium or high.

A fix is available. Apply it sooner than your standard update timelines at low mission impact and as soon as possible at medium or high.

Exploitation active (CISA Vulnrichment) · Automatable yes (CISA Vulnrichment) · Technical impact total (CISA Vulnrichment). All three are CISA's SSVC values (Vulnrichment). EchelonGraph applied CISA's decision table to them; CISA publishes SSVC inputs and the table, not a decision for each CVE. Mission impact is CISA's Mission & Well-being decision point, and only you can judge it. CISA's table makes it high when Mission Prevalence is Essential — the vulnerable component "directly provides capabilities that constitute at least one MEF for at least one entity" (MEF: mission essential function) — or when Public Well-Being Impact is Irreversible: "multiple fatalities are likely", the cyber-physical system "is likely lost or destroyed", "extreme or serious externalities" are imposed on other parties, or social systems such as elections or the financial grid "are destabilized and potentially collapse". CISA's decision table

BOD 26-04 (CISA's remediation timeline, Table 1)3 days & forensic triage if the affected system is publicly exposed; 3 days & forensic triage if it is not.

The score's inputs: In CISA KEV yes (CISA's KEV catalog) · Automatable yes (CISA Vulnrichment) · Technical impact total (CISA Vulnrichment). Whether your system is publicly exposed is yours to answer. BOD 26-04 binds US Federal Civilian Executive Branch agencies; for anyone else it is CISA's published timeline, a reference rather than an obligation. The directive · how EchelonGraph applies it

CISA required action“Apply updates per vendor instructions.”

Quoted verbatim from CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. CISA directs it at US federal civilian executive branch agencies under Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 26-04, which replaced BOD 22-01 on 10 June 2026; it is not EchelonGraph's advice. CISA's notes: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-34473

Published

July 14, 2021

Last Modified

August 10, 2026

Advisory Details (5)

Auto-updated Oct 27, 2026
⚠️ Actively exploited (CISA KEV, CISA Vulnrichment). Patch available. Sources: microsoft, cisa.
CISA🔴 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-2021-34473
Web page

ZDI-21-821 - TrendAI™ Zero Day Initiative™ (ZDI)

https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-821/
Microsoft

Security Update Guide - Microsoft Security Response Center

https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-34473
Microsoft

Security Update Guide - Microsoft Security Response Center

https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-34473

Vendor Advisories for CVE-2021-34473(2)

These vendors published their own advisory mentioning this CVE — often with vendor-specific remediation steps + affected product lists not in NVD.

Weakness Classification(1)

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

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 16× in last 7d / 159× in last 30d)

Each row is a time one of our pipelines fetched, updated or re-scored this CVE. 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. An arrow marks a change the record states ("CVSS v3 → 9.1"); EPSS and GHSA rows show the values recorded at that time, not what changed (EPSS values are rounded; hover one for the exact figures). Most recent first.

Showing the most recent 100 of 1,673 refreshes on record for this CVE.

A repeat, a row identical to one the same pipeline wrote less than 10 seconds earlier, is not a separate refresh and is not counted. None are among the latest 100 rows. The 1,573 oldest rows on record are not shown and were not checked, so the counts can still include repeats.

  1. 2026-11-01 21:19 UTCEG score recompute
  2. 2026-11-01 21:19 UTCVendor advisory
  3. 2026-11-01 21:18 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  4. 2026-10-31 19:06 UTCEG score recompute
  5. 2026-10-31 19:06 UTCVendor advisory
  6. 2026-10-31 19:06 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  7. 2026-10-30 16:51 UTCEG score recompute
  8. 2026-10-30 16:51 UTCVendor advisory
  9. 2026-10-30 16:51 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  10. 2026-10-29 14:38 UTCEG score recompute
  11. 2026-10-29 14:38 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  12. 2026-10-28 12:26 UTCEG score recompute
  13. 2026-10-28 12:26 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  14. 2026-10-27 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS >99.9% · 99th percentile
  15. 2026-10-27 10:14 UTCEG score recompute
  16. 2026-10-27 10:14 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  17. 2026-10-26 08:00 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  18. 2026-10-25 18:26 UTCEG score recompute
  19. 2026-10-25 05:46 UTCEG score recompute
  20. 2026-10-25 05:46 UTCVendor advisory
  21. 2026-10-25 05:46 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  22. 2026-10-24 03:34 UTCEG score recompute
  23. 2026-10-24 03:34 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  24. 2026-10-23 01:21 UTCEG score recompute
  25. 2026-10-23 01:21 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
Show 75 more
  1. 2026-10-21 23:08 UTCEG score recompute
  2. 2026-10-21 23:08 UTCVendor advisory
  3. 2026-10-21 23:08 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  4. 2026-10-20 20:53 UTCEG score recompute
  5. 2026-10-20 20:53 UTCVendor advisory
  6. 2026-10-20 20:53 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  7. 2026-10-20 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS >99.9% · 99th percentile
  8. 2026-10-19 18:39 UTCEG score recompute
  9. 2026-10-19 18:39 UTCVendor advisory
  10. 2026-10-19 18:39 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  11. 2026-10-18 16:26 UTCVendor advisory
  12. 2026-10-18 16:26 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  13. 2026-10-18 08:59 UTCEG score recompute
  14. 2026-10-17 16:11 UTCEG score recompute
  15. 2026-10-17 16:11 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  16. 2026-10-16 13:59 UTCEG score recompute
  17. 2026-10-16 13:59 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  18. 2026-10-15 11:46 UTCEG score recompute
  19. 2026-10-15 11:46 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  20. 2026-10-14 09:33 UTCEG score recompute
  21. 2026-10-14 09:33 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  22. 2026-10-13 07:20 UTCVendor advisory
  23. 2026-10-13 07:20 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  24. 2026-10-12 19:15 UTCEG score recompute
  25. 2026-10-12 05:07 UTCVendor advisory
  26. 2026-10-12 05:07 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  27. 2026-10-12 01:10 UTCVendor advisory
  28. 2026-10-12 01:10 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  29. 2026-10-11 21:12 UTCEG score recompute
  30. 2026-10-11 21:12 UTCVendor advisory
  31. 2026-10-11 21:12 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  32. 2026-10-11 17:15 UTCEG score recompute
  33. 2026-10-11 17:15 UTCVendor advisory
  34. 2026-10-11 17:15 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  35. 2026-10-11 13:17 UTCEG score recompute
  36. 2026-10-11 13:17 UTCVendor advisory
  37. 2026-10-11 13:17 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  38. 2026-10-11 09:19 UTCVendor advisory
  39. 2026-10-11 09:19 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  40. 2026-10-11 05:21 UTCVendor advisory
  41. 2026-10-11 05:21 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  42. 2026-10-11 01:24 UTCVendor advisory
  43. 2026-10-11 01:24 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  44. 2026-10-10 21:28 UTCVendor advisory
  45. 2026-10-10 21:27 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  46. 2026-10-10 17:30 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  47. 2026-10-10 13:33 UTCVendor advisory
  48. 2026-10-10 13:33 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  49. 2026-10-10 09:36 UTCVendor advisory
  50. 2026-10-10 09:36 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  51. 2026-10-10 05:39 UTCVendor advisory
  52. 2026-10-10 05:39 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  53. 2026-10-10 01:43 UTCVendor advisory
  54. 2026-10-10 01:43 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  55. 2026-10-09 21:47 UTCVendor advisory
  56. 2026-10-09 21:46 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  57. 2026-10-09 17:50 UTCVendor advisory
  58. 2026-10-09 17:50 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  59. 2026-10-09 13:53 UTCVendor advisory
  60. 2026-10-09 13:53 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  61. 2026-10-09 09:56 UTCVendor advisory
  62. 2026-10-09 09:56 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  63. 2026-10-09 05:59 UTCVendor advisory
  64. 2026-10-09 05:58 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  65. 2026-10-09 02:02 UTCVendor advisory
  66. 2026-10-09 02:02 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  67. 2026-10-08 22:05 UTCVendor advisory
  68. 2026-10-08 22:05 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  69. 2026-10-08 18:08 UTCVendor advisory
  70. 2026-10-08 18:08 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  71. 2026-10-08 14:11 UTCVendor advisory
  72. 2026-10-08 14:11 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  73. 2026-10-08 10:13 UTCVendor advisory
  74. 2026-10-08 10:13 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-fgq9-p33g-xcfc · GitHub severity CRITICAL · GitHub CVSS 9.8
  75. 2026-10-08 06:16 UTCVendor advisory

Publicly available exploits

(9 references)

Public exploit code is referenced for this CVE (1 Metasploit module, 5 GitHub PoCs), as are 1 Nuclei detection template, 2 GitHub checker repositories. A detection template checks whether a system is affected; it is not necessarily exploit code. A GitHub repository named or described as a checker or scanner checks whether a system is affected; it is not necessarily exploit code. Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly.

  • Metasploitexploit/windows/http/exchange_proxyshell_rce✓ verified
    Published Aug 19, 2021

    Exchange ProxyShell chain — combined with CVE-2021-34523 and CVE-2021-31207 for RCE.

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub checkeripsBruno/CVE-2021-34473-NMAP-SCANNER
    Published Nov 16, 2022

    A massive scanner for CVE-2021-34473 Microsoft Exchange Windows Vulnerability

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCkh4sh3i/ProxyShell
    Published Jun 29, 2022

    CVE-2021-34473 Microsoft Exchange Server Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCje6k/CVE-2021-34473-Exchange-ProxyShell
    Published Nov 22, 2021

    对Exchange Proxyshell 做了二次修改,精确的拆分、实现辅助性安全测试。

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoChorizon3ai/proxyshell
    Published Sep 4, 2021

    Proof of Concept for CVE-2021-34473, CVE-2021-34523, and CVE-2021-31207

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCp2-98/CVE-2021-34473
    Published Aug 16, 2021

    CVE-2021-34473 Microsoft Exchange Server Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

    Open source ↗
  • Nucleihttp/cves/2021/CVE-2021-34473.yaml
    Published Aug 12, 2021

    Exchange Server - Remote Code Execution

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCRaouzRouik/CVE-2021-34473-scanner
    Published Aug 11, 2021

    Scanner for CVE-2021-34473, ProxyShell, A Microsoft Exchange On-premise Vulnerability

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub checkercyberheartmi9/Proxyshell-Scanner
    Published Aug 10, 2021

    nuclei scanner for proxyshell ( CVE-2021-34473 )

    Open source ↗

Frequently asked(6)

What is CVE-2021-34473?
CVE-2021-34473 is a critical-severity vulnerability; its CVE record was published on July 14, 2021. Microsoft Exchange Server Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
When was CVE-2021-34473 made public?
CVE-2021-34473 was made public on July 13, 2021: that is the date its CVE record's CNA, Microsoft Corporation, gives for when the vulnerability was made public. The CVE record itself was published on July 14, 2021. EchelonGraph's copy of the record carries a last-modified date of August 10, 2026; the record at its source may have been updated since.
Is CVE-2021-34473 actively exploited?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2021-34473 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on November 3, 2021, affecting Microsoft Exchange Server. KEV listing indicates confirmed exploitation in the wild; this CVE warrants immediate attention. A fix is available. Apply it.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-34473?
CVE-2021-34473 has a CVSS v3 base score of 9.8 (NVD).
Which products are affected by CVE-2021-34473?
CVE-2021-34473 affects Microsoft Exchange Server.
How do I remediate CVE-2021-34473?
A fix for CVE-2021-34473 is available: update to the fixed version the vendor names in its advisory. The vendor advisories EchelonGraph has for CVE-2021-34473 are linked in the Vendor Advisories panel on this page.

Dependency Blast Radius

Explore the affected products and dependency analysis for CVE-2021-34473

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