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CVE-2021-22015· NVD / CVE Program· CNA vmware

The vCenter Server contains multiple local privilege escalation vulnerabilities due to improper permissions of files and directories.

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Plan (action score 40/100)

  • A ready-made attack module is public (Metasploit); exploiting it takes no special expertise.
  • Because a ready-made attack tool exists, priority is at least “Plan”.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 1.9% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 80% of all records.
  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • According to the record, no fixed version is available yet.
  • Mentioned 1 time in Turkish national cyber security advisories (siberguvenlik.gov.tr).

Add it to your regular patch cycle. Update when a fix is released; follow the vendor's advisory.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

The vCenter Server contains multiple local privilege escalation vulnerabilities due to improper permissions of files and directories. An authenticated local user with non-administrative privilege may exploit these issues to elevate their privileges to root on vCenter Server Appliance.

HighCVSS 7.8 · v3.1—Weaponized No fix recorded
Published
Sep 23, 2021
Updated
Jun 16, 2026
EPSS
1.9% · 80th percentile

Report tools

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Action score

40

Plan

Add it to your regular patch cycle.

CVSS
31 / 40 · 7.8 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
1 / 30 · 1.9%
Ready-made attack tool
8 / 40 · floor: at least 40

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • Weaponized exploit exists
  • No fixed version yet

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2021-22015

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
vmwarecloud foundation
vmwarevcenter server

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • vmware cloud foundation3.0 and later · before 5.0
  • vmware vcenter server6.5
  • vmware vcenter server6.7
  • vmware vcenter server7.0

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (vmware). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • n/a VMware vCenter Server, VMware Cloud Foundation

    • VMware vCenter Server(7.x before 7.0 U2c, 6.7 before 6.7 U3o and 6.5 before 6.5 U3q) and VMware Cloud Foundation (4.x before 4.3 and 3.x before 3.10.2.2)affected

Same product

vmware: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2021-22005The vCenter Server contains an arbitrary file upload vulnerability in the Analytics service.KEV
    99Now
  • CVE-2021-21972The vSphere Client (HTML5) contains a remote code execution vulnerability in a vCenter Server plugin.KEV
    99Now
  • CVE-2020-3992OpenSLP as used in VMware ESXi (7.0 before ESXi_7.0.1-0.0.16850804, 6.7 before ESXi670-202010401-SG, 6.5 before ESXi650-202010401-SG) has a KEV
    94Now

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2021-22013Sep 23, 2021 · The vCenter Server contains a file path traversal vulnerability leading to information disclosure in the appliance management API.
    30Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2021-22014Sep 23, 2021 · The vCenter Server contains an authenticated code execution vulnerability in VAMI (Virtual Appliance Management Infrastructure).
    28Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2021-22016Sep 23, 2021 · The vCenter Server contains a reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability due to a lack of input sanitization.
    24Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.

Exploit status

Weaponized

A ready exploit tool or active in-the-wild use is known for this vulnerability. This should be your top priority.

Evidence

  • Metasploit module ×1
  • Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub ×1

Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.

Public exploit evidence
SourceKindDate
Metasploit moduleexploit/linux/local/vcenter_java_wrapper_vmon_priv_escVMware vCenter vScalation Priv Escexploit2021-09-21
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:62021-09-30

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

  1. Metasploit-2 d
  2. Published
  3. First PoC+7 d
  4. TodayOct 24, 2026+1857 d
EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

National notice (Türkiye Cybersecurity Directorate / USOM)

Official security notices citing this record; remediation advice is on the agency's page.

All national notices →

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
  • A low-privileged account is enough.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
high · data can be read
Integrity
high · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-552 · Files or Directories Accessible to External Parties

CVSS vector

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

nvd-primary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

Change log

No changes recorded on tracked fields yet. Score, KEV, exploit maturity and fix status changes appear here.

References

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records