How to check if you are exposed to CVE-2021-21972
- Find every VMware vCenter Server system you or your clients run, including ones exposed to the internet. Those come first: CISA only lists flaws attackers are already using.
- Compare each version with the fixed versions in the vendor advisory. Where no fix exists yet, apply the vendor’s mitigation or take the system off the internet.
- Run a credentialed vulnerability scan to catch the systems you missed, then check that the next scan no longer reports CVE-2021-21972.
US federal agencies had to fix this by 2021-11-17. Everyone else should treat that deadline as a guide: if it has passed, this is overdue.
Timeline
- · Added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
- · Fix-by date for US federal agencies, passed 1,810 days ago
Weakness type
More exploited VMware vulnerabilities
CISA lists 26 exploited VMware vulnerabilities. The closest matches:
- CVE-2024-38813VMware vCenter Server Privilege Escalation VulnerabilityAdded 2024-11-20
- CVE-2024-38812VMware vCenter Server Heap-Based Buffer Overflow VulnerabilityAdded 2024-11-20
- CVE-2022-22948VMware vCenter Server Incorrect Default File Permissions Vulnerability Added 2024-07-17
- CVE-2023-34048VMware vCenter Server Out-of-Bounds Write VulnerabilityAdded 2024-01-22
- CVE-2021-22017VMware vCenter Server Improper Access ControlAdded 2022-01-10
- CVE-2021-22005VMware vCenter Server File Upload VulnerabilityAdded 2021-11-03
- CVE-2021-21985VMware vCenter Server Improper Input Validation VulnerabilityAdded 2021-11-03
- CVE-2020-3952VMware vCenter Server Information Disclosure VulnerabilityAdded 2021-11-03
Keep going
Sources: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (version 2026.10.30); EPSS data from FIRST.org; CVSS and descriptions from the NIST National Vulnerability Database. Checked 2026-11-01. This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.