CVE-2021-22005The vCenter Server contains an arbitrary file upload vulnerability in the Analytics service. A malicious actor with network access to port…
- 9.8CriticalCVSS base score
- 100.0%Exploitation in 30 daysEPSS · top 0.1% of all CVEs
- YesKnown exploitedin CISA's KEV since 3 Nov 2021
- 2Public exploitsMetasploit, Nuclei and Exploit-DB
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.
Exploited in the wild
CISA lists this vulnerability in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog as VMware vCenter Server File Upload Vulnerability.
- Added
- 3 Nov 2021
- Fix due (US federal)
- 17 Nov 2021
- Used by ransomware
- Known
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
ENISA's EU Vulnerability Database lists it as exploited, from CISA's KEV, since 3 Nov 2021.
Public exploit
An exploit or proof of concept is public: anyone can try it against an unpatched system. The public collections list a Metasploit module and a Nuclei template for it. CISA's SSVC rates its exploitation: it is being exploited.
Show the exploits2
Metasploit modules1 module
- VMware vCenter Server Analytics (CEIP) Service File Upload (Metasploit module) (opens in a new tab)
exploit/linux/http/vmware_vcenter_analytics_file_uploadRank excellentdisclosed 21 Sept 2021
Nuclei templates1 template
- VMware vCenter Server - Arbitrary File Upload (Nuclei template) (opens in a new tab)
http/cves/2021/CVE-2021-22005.yamlSeverity critical
Modules, templates and exploits as listed by the Metasploit Framework (BSD-3-Clause), ProjectDiscovery's Nuclei templates (MIT) and the Exploit Database (GPLv2), read once a day. Where the data comes from
Timeline
ID reserved
By vmware
- 9 months later
· 9 months later
Published
- 41 days later
· 41 days later
Added to CISA KEV
Known exploited, also by ransomware
- 4 years later
· 4 years later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| CISA-ADPADP (enrichment) | 3.1 | Critical9.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| NVDNVD · Analyzed | 3.1 | Critical9.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 100.0% · top 0.1% of all CVEs (12 Nov 2026)
- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation: active · Automatable: yes · Technical impact: total
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: Critical 9.8.
Affected products
VMware vCenter Server, VMware Cloud Foundation
- affected VMware vCenter Server(7.x before 7.0 U2c and 6.7 before 6.7 U3o) and VMware Cloud Foundation (4.x before 4.3 and 3.x before 3.10.2.2)
References
References3
- https://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2021-0020.html (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/164439/VMware-vCenter-Server-Analytics-CEIP-Service-File-Upload.html (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2021-22005 (opens in a new tab)government-resource
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- CISA KEV catalog (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- EUVD EUVD-2021-9174 (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://cveledger.app/cve/CVE-2021-22005)Record last updated .