CVE-2021-21985 VMware vCenter Server Improper Input Validation
Remote attackers can execute arbitrary commands with unrestricted privileges on the vCenter Server host via the Virtual SAN Health Check plug-in.
- Exploited in the wild
- Since 3 Nov 2021
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2021-21985?
CVE-2021-21985 is a critical command injection vulnerability in Vmware Cloud Foundation, published on 26 May 2021. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
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.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-21985?
It affects 2 products.
Products include Vmware Cloud Foundation, Vmware Vcenter Server.
How do I fix CVE-2021-21985?
No fix has been published for CVE-2021-21985 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available. US federal agencies must fix it by 17 Nov 2021.
Upgrade, and pass arguments to programs as a list instead of through a shell. More about Command injection.
Is CVE-2021-21985 being exploited?
Yes. Attackers have exploited CVE-2021-21985 in the wild since at least 3 Nov 2021, including in ransomware campaigns.
Public exploit code: 1 Metasploit module, 1 Nuclei template and 10 proofs of concept on GitHub.
Other vulnerabilities in Vmware Cloud Foundation
- CVE-2024-38812 VMware vCenter Server Heap-Based Buffer Overflow
- CVE-2024-37079 Broadcom VMware vCenter Server Out-of-bounds Write
- CVE-2022-22954 VMware Workspace ONE Access and Identity Manager Server-Side Template Injection
- CVE-2021-22005 VMware vCenter Server File Upload
- CVE-2021-21975 VMware Server Side Request Forgery in vRealize Operations Manager API
Sources
Also known as GHSA-rg6m-2r9v-c5fj.