CVE Intelligence
CISA KEV Medium

CVE-2021-22017 — VMware vCenter Server Improper Access Control

Rhttproxy as used in vCenter Server contains a vulnerability due to improper implementation of URI normalization. A malicious actor with network access to port 443 on vCenter Server may exploit this issue to bypass proxy leading to internal endpoints being accessed.

Published Sep 23, 2021 · Updated Oct 13, 2026 · Sources: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP, GitHub Security Advisories · CNA: vmware

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

CISA KEV · Jan 10, 2022 Detection templates (Nuclei) · 1
How the score was calculated
  • Confirmed exploitation (CISA KEV)+35
  • Public exploit/PoC (nuclei)+4
  • EPSS 49.2% (30-day exploitation probability)+15
  • Technical severity (medium)+3
  • Automatable exploitation (SSVC)+3

The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

Exploitation
Confirmed
CISA KEV, listed Jan 10, 2022
EPSS FIRST
49.18%
ahead of 99% of scored CVEs · Oct 14, 2026
Affects
Vmware
Vcenter Server
CVSS base
5.3
Medium · 4 source(s)

CISA SSVC assessment CISA

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

Exploitation
Active
none · proof-of-concept · active
Automatable
Yes
can an attacker script the kill-chain steps
Technical impact
Partial
partial · total control of the vulnerable component

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

  • Documented patch — www.vmware.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)

CISA required action CISA

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

US federal deadline: Jan 24, 2022 — passed 1725 day(s) ago

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

  1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Vmware Vcenter Server).
  2. Treat as emergency remediation: the CVE is in CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).
  3. The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
  4. Apply the fixed version or the patch documented under Remediation.
  5. EPSS ahead of 99% of scored CVEs: prioritize it in the patch queue.
  6. Search available logs for exploit probes, errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatusSource
Vmware Vcenter Server version 6.7 Vulnerable NIST National Vulnerability Database

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
None

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

ScoreVersionSeverityExpl.ImpactScored by
5.3 CVSS 3.1 Medium 3.9 1.4 nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database
5.3 CVSS 3.1 Medium 3.9 1.4 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 via NIST National Vulnerability Database
5.3 CVSS 3.1 Medium — — GitHub, Inc. via GitHub Security Advisories
5.3 CVSS 3.1 Medium — — CISA-ADP via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
5.0 CVSS 2.0 Medium 10.0 2.9 nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov)

CISA KEV details CISA

CISA lists a CVE once it has evidence of exploitation against real targets.

Listed
Jan 10, 2022
Federal deadline
Jan 24, 2022
passed 1725 day(s) ago
Ransomware use
Unknown

CISA records ransomware use only for campaigns it has confirmed, so “Unknown” means unrecorded, not ruled out. The deadline binds US federal agencies; for everyone else it is a reference date.

Public exploits, PoCs and detection templates

Public code that demonstrates or tests the flaw raises the odds of mass exploitation — and Nuclei templates help find vulnerable assets in your environment.

Detection templates (Nuclei)

Warning: public PoCs are sometimes disguised malware. Use them only for authorized testing in an isolated environment. This portal does not host exploit code — it only points to the sources.

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 49.18%

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

  • Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
  • Hunt retroactively in logs from before Jan 10, 2022 (KEV listing): exploitation may have started earlier.
web/proxy/WAF logsnetwork IDS/IPS

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

  • 2026
  • SSVC assessment updated
    Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Record published
    Oct 13, 2026
  • Fix documented
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Affected products added · vmware/vcenter server
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • CVSS changed · 5.3
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Source status changed · → Analyzed
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Added to CISA KEV (detected)
    Oct 13, 2026 · CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
  • Record created in this database
    Oct 13, 2026 · CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
  • 2022
  • Added to CISA KEV catalog
    Jan 9, 2022 · CISA
  • 2021
  • CVE published
    Sep 23, 2021 · vmware

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

  • 2× References added · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
  • 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026

References

4 on the record

Elsewhere on this site

Vmware
every CVE for this vendor
2022-01
what else CISA listed that month

Related CVEs (same products)

  • CVE-2026-59310 Broadcom VMware vCenter Path Traversal Vulnerability KEV Jul 30, 2026
  • CVE-2026-59309 VMware vCenter contains an authentication bypass vulnerability in the VMware Directory… Jul 30, 2026
  • CVE-2024-38813 VMware vCenter Server Privilege Escalation Vulnerability KEV Sep 17, 2024
  • CVE-2024-38812 VMware vCenter Server Heap-Based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability KEV Sep 17, 2024
  • CVE-2024-37079 Broadcom VMware vCenter Server Out-of-bounds Write Vulnerability KEV Jun 18, 2024
  • CVE-2023-34048 VMware vCenter Server Out-of-Bounds Write Vulnerability KEV Oct 25, 2023

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

  • No CWE classification.
  • No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
  • No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
  • No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2021-22017 is "VMware vCenter Server Improper Access Control", rated Medium. It affects Vcenter Server (Vmware); versions are in the scope table. It is in CISA KEV: there is evidence of real-world exploitation. CVSS 5.3 describes technical severity. EPSS 49.18% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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