Exploited CVEs / VMware / CVE-2021-21972
CVE-2021-21972
VMware vCenter Server Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Exploitation in the wild is confirmed by CISA, not predicted, and the vulnerability is known to be used in ransomware campaigns. Federal agencies were required to remediate by 2021-11-17 (that deadline has passed); treat that date as the outer bound for your own environment. The fix is in the vendor advisory: Broadcom (VMware) Security Advisories, linked below.
Actively exploited VMware vCenter Server vulnerability, Critical severity, CVSS 9.8. Added to the CISA KEV catalog 2021-11-03.
Risk summary
Updated July 28, 2026. Data refreshed on every build from MSRC, CISA KEV, and FIRST EPSS.
Senserva AI Opinion for CVE-2021-21972
This vCenter Server plugin flaw hands an attacker with network access to port 443 command execution with unrestricted privileges on the underlying operating system, and EPSS scores it at 100 percent. Ransomware operators have used it to seize virtualization infrastructure, where a single compromise can reach every guest VM at once. Patched builds have existed since 2021; exposure now is purely operational lag.
Do this: Scan internal networks for vCenter endpoints answering on port 443 and verify each is patched for CVE-2021-21972.
AI-generated from public data, 2026-07-07. Verify against the vendor advisory before acting.
Senserva AI Opinion and rich prompt for CVE-2021-21972
Copy this prompt into Claude, ChatGPT, or Copilot. The facts are included, sourced from this page.
Full tracking and change history for CVE-2021-21972
Published and last-revised dates are authoritative, from Microsoft MSRC (or the CISA KEV date-added). Senserva additionally records day-to-day changes from 2026-07-07, refreshed several times a day; the change count reflects that forward-only tracking.
CISA required action
Federal (BOD 22-01) remediation due date: 2021-11-17 (past due).
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Official fix for CVE-2021-21972
The authoritative fix and affected-version list are published by the vendor. Find the vCenter Server advisory on Broadcom (VMware) Security Advisories.
Common questions about CVE-2021-21972
Is CVE-2021-21972 actively exploited?
Yes. CVE-2021-21972 was added to the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2021-11-03, which means exploitation in the wild has been confirmed, not predicted. Its EPSS 30-day exploitation probability is 100%. CISA also reports it is known to be used in ransomware campaigns.
What is the CISA deadline and required action for CVE-2021-21972?
CISA set the federal (BOD 22-01) remediation due date at 2021-11-17, which has passed; treat any unremediated system as overdue. The verbatim required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.
What fixes CVE-2021-21972?
The authoritative fix is in the vendor advisory: see Broadcom (VMware) Security Advisories for the patched vCenter Server versions and any workarounds. KEV listing makes this a fix-first item: patch it ahead of higher-CVSS issues nobody is exploiting.
Can I ask my own AI about CVE-2021-21972?
Yes. This page includes a free, ready-to-paste AI prompt containing CVE-2021-21972's key facts: severity, CVSS, EPSS, the KEV date, the CISA due date, and the required action. Copy it into Claude, ChatGPT, or Copilot; the data is refreshed twice a day (5 AM and 3 PM US Central).
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Authoritative references
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