Actively exploited · Published May 26, 2021 · Assigned by vmware
CVE-2021-21985
Critical 9.8 Exploited Ransomware
In plain English
A critical-severity improper input validation in VMware vCenter Server and VMware Cloud Foundation. Attackers are actively exploiting it in the wild (listed by CISA on November 3, 2021). It has been used in ransomware campaigns. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 100.0% (higher than 99.9% of all known vulnerabilities). Ready-made attack tooling exists: Metasploit, Nuclei, public proof-of-concept code. Apply updates per vendor instructions.
CISA guidance
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Federal agencies must remediate by Nov 17, 2021.
Official description
The vSphere Client (HTML5) contains a remote code execution vulnerability due to lack of input validation in the Virtual SAN Health Check plug-in which is enabled by default in vCenter Server. 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.
Affected products (as reported)
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| n/a | VMware vCenter Server and VMware Cloud Foundation | VMware vCenter Server (7.x before 7.0 U2b, 6.7 before 6.7 U3n, 6.5 before 6.5 U3p) and VMware Cloud Foundation (4.x before 4.2.1, 3.x before 3.10.2.1) |
Weakness: CWE-20, CWE-470, CWE-918 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
References
- https://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2021-0010.html x_refsource_MISC
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/162812/VMware-Security-Advisory-2021-0010.html x_refsource_MISC
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/163487/VMware-vCenter-Server-Virtual-SAN-Health-Check-Remote-Code-Execution.html x_refsource_MISC
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2021-21985 government-resource