CVE-2021-21972

Summary

CVE	CVE-2021-21972
State	PUBLISHED
Assigner	vmware
Source Priority	CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback
Published	2021-02-24 17:15:15 UTC
Updated	2026-08-12 05:17:35 UTC
Description	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).

Risk And Classification

Primary CVSS: v3.1 9.8 CRITICAL from [email protected]

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS: 0.995180000 probability, percentile 0.999430000 (date 2026-08-21)

CISA KEV: Listed on 2021-11-03; due 2021-11-17; ransomware use Known

Problem Types: CWE-22 | Remote code execution vulnerability | CWE-22 CWE-22 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')

Version	Source	Type	Score	Severity	Vector
3.1	[email protected]	Primary	9.8	CRITICAL	`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`
3.1	ADP	DECLARED	9.8	CRITICAL	`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`
3.1	134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0	Secondary	9.8	CRITICAL	`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`
2.0	[email protected]	Primary	10		`AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C`

CVSS v3.1 Breakdown

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS v2.0 Breakdown

Access Vector

Network

Access Complexity

Low

Authentication

None

Confidentiality

Complete

Integrity

Complete

Availability

Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

CISA Known Exploited Vulnerability

Vendor	VMware
Product	vCenter Server
Name	VMware vCenter Server Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
Required Action	Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Notes	https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-21972

NVD Known Affected Configurations (CPE 2.3)

Type	Vendor	Product	Version	Update	Edition	Language
Application	Vmware	Cloud Foundation	All	All	All	All

Vendor Declared Affected Products

Source	Vendor	Product	Version	Platforms
CNA	Na	VMware VCenter Server	affected 7.x before 7.0 U1c	Not specified
CNA	Na	VMware VCenter Server	affected 6.7 before 6.7 U3l	Not specified
CNA	Na	VMware VCenter Server	affected 6.5 before 6.5 U3n	Not specified
CNA	Na	VMware Cloud Foundation	affected 4.x before 4.2	Not specified
CNA	Na	VMware Cloud Foundation	affected 3.x before 3.10.1.2	Not specified

References

Reference	Source	Link	Tags
VMware vCenter 6.5 / 6.7 / 7.0 Remote Code Execution ≈ Packet Storm	af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108	packetstormsecurity.com	Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog	134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0	www.cisa.gov	US Government Resource
VMware vCenter Server 7.0 Arbitrary File Upload ≈ Packet Storm	af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108	packetstormsecurity.com	Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
VMware vCenter Server File Upload / Remote Code Execution ≈ Packet Storm	af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108	packetstormsecurity.com	Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
VMSA-2021-0002	af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108	www.vmware.com	Vendor Advisory
CVE Program record	CVE.ORG	www.cve.org	canonical
NVD vulnerability detail	NVD	nvd.nist.gov	canonical, analysis
CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog	CISA	www.cisa.gov	kev

No vendor comments have been submitted for this CVE.

Additional Advisory Data

Source	Time	Event
ADP	2021-11-03T00:00:00.000Z	CVE-2021-21972 added to CISA KEV

Legacy QID Mappings

216253 VMware vCenter Server 7.0 Update 7.0 U1c Missing (VMSA-2021-0002)
216254 VMware vCenter Server 6.7 Update 6.7 U3l Missing (VMSA-2021-0002)
216255 VMware vCenter Server 6.5 Update 6.5 U3n Missing (VMSA-2021-0002)