How severe is CVE-2021-22005?

CVE-2021-22005 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2021-22005 being actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2021-22005 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2021-11-03, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-22005?

CVE-2021-22005 primarily affects Vmware Cloud Foundation. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-22005?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.

Does CVE-2021-22005 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?

Yes. CVE-2021-22005 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2021-9174. It is also flagged as exploited in the EUVD (since 2021-11-03).

When was CVE-2021-22005 published?

CVE-2021-22005 was published on 2021-09-23 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-22005

CVE-2021-22005 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Vmware Cloud Foundation with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. It is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming it has been exploited in the wild (added 2021-11-03). The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-22.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 100% (100th percentile)
Actively exploited: Yes — listed in CISA KEV (added 2021-11-03)
EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2021-9174
EU exploitation: Flagged exploited in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (since 2021-11-03)
Weakness: CWE-22
Affected product: Vmware Cloud Foundation
Published: 2021-09-23
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The vCenter Server contains an arbitrary file upload vulnerability in the Analytics service. A malicious actor with network access to port 443 on vCenter Server may exploit this issue to execute code on vCenter Server by uploading a specially crafted file.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-22005?: The vCenter Server contains an arbitrary file upload vulnerability in the Analytics service. A malicious actor with network access to port 443 on vCenter Server may exploit this issue to execute code on vCenter Server by uploading a specially crafted file.
How severe is CVE-2021-22005?: CVE-2021-22005 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2021-22005 being actively exploited?: Yes. CVE-2021-22005 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2021-11-03, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-22005?: CVE-2021-22005 primarily affects Vmware Cloud Foundation. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-22005?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.
Does CVE-2021-22005 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?: Yes. CVE-2021-22005 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2021-9174. It is also flagged as exploited in the EUVD (since 2021-11-03).
When was CVE-2021-22005 published?: CVE-2021-22005 was published on 2021-09-23 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (4)

cpe:2.3:a:vmware:cloud_foundation:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:6.5:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:6.7:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:-:*:*:*:*:*:*

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