Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2021-21985

The vSphere Client (HTML5) contains a remote code execution vulnerability due to lack of input validation in the Virtual SAN Health Check plug-in which is enabled by default in vCenter Server. A malicious actor with network access to port 443 may exploit this issue to execute commands with unrestricted privileges on the underlying operating system that hosts vCenter Server.

Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a CRITICAL severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 9.8, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction and does not require pre-existing privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 2 products from vmware, from vmware organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

Reported in 2021, this vulnerability emerged during an era marked by increased sophistication in supply chain attacks, cloud infrastructure vulnerabilities, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) security challenges. Security practices during this period emphasized zero-trust architectures, container security, and API protection.

Published

2021-05-26T15:15:07.937

Last Modified

2025-10-30T20:05:29.037

Status

Analyzed

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.1: 9.8 (CRITICAL)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Access Vector: NETWORK
Access Complexity: LOW
Authentication: NONE
Confidentiality Impact: COMPLETE
Integrity Impact: COMPLETE
Availability Impact: COMPLETE

Exploitability Score

10.0

Impact Score

10.0

Weaknesses

Type: Primary
CWE-918
Type: Secondary
CWE-20
CWE-470
CWE-918

Affected Vendors & Products

Type	Vendor	Product	Version/Range	Vulnerable?
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.5	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.5	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.5	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.5	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.5	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.5	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.5	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.5	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.5	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.5	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.5	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.5	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.5	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.5	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.5	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.5	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.5	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.5	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.5	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.5	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.5	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.5	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.5	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.7	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.7	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.7	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.7	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.7	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.7	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.7	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.7	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.7	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.7	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.7	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.7	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.7	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.7	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.7	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.7	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	6.7	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	7.0	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	7.0	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	7.0	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	7.0	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	7.0	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	7.0	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	7.0	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	7.0	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	7.0	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	7.0	Yes
Application	vmware	vcenter_server	7.0	Yes
Application	vmware	cloud_foundation	< 3.10.2.1	Yes
Application	vmware	cloud_foundation	< 4.2.1	Yes

References

http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/162812/VMware-Security-Advisory-2021-0010.html Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry ([email protected])
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/163487/VMware-vCenter-Server-Virtual-SAN-Health-Check-Remote-Code-Execution.html Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry ([email protected])
https://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2021-0010.html Vendor Advisory ([email protected])
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/162812/VMware-Security-Advisory-2021-0010.html Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/163487/VMware-vCenter-Server-Virtual-SAN-Health-Check-Remote-Code-Execution.html Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2021-0010.html Vendor Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2021-21985 US Government Resource (134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0)

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For vmware's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.