Threats / VMware / CVE-2021-21975
CVE-2021-21975
· EUVD no mirror located
· GCVE no mirror located
Verified 2026-06-22
VMware vRealize Operations Manager API vulnerability
Server-side request forgery in VMware vRealize Operations Manager API prior to 8.4 allows network-adjacent attackers to steal administrative credentials.
Verdict
Today item, not a backlog item.
A network-accessible SSRF vulnerability in the vRealize Operations Manager API enables credential theft of administrative accounts. Active exploitation and ransomware deployment have been observed in the wild.
CISA KEV Yes · 2022-01-183Ransomware use Flagged3EPSS 0.78435 (verify live)4Exploit Weaponized · public PoC5
01
Is it exploitable?
— the evidence, ranked above the scoreExploit available
Fully weaponized — public exploit code is cataloged for this vulnerability.We link the existence of the exploit; we do not host or redistribute payloads.
Reported exploitation
635 independent public reports of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-01-18), flagged for known ransomware use.
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.78435 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
Affected: VMware, vRealize Operations Manager API. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.
Weakness (CWE)
Mapped to CWE-918 Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF).CWE assignment from the public NVD record; the weakness class drives how the flaw is exploited.
02
Who’s exploiting it?
— attribution turns risk into urgencyAttribution not established
No confirmed (advisory-backed) threat-actor attribution is established for this record. Absence of a named actor is not absence of compromise — see Coverage & confidence.
03
Why it matters
— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board1
Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1
Attacker
I craft a malicious request to the vRealize Operations Manager API that causes the server to make an internal request to retrieve administrative credentials.
Business
Administrative credentials are exposed, granting attackers full control over the vRealize Operations Manager infrastructure.
2
Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2
Attacker
Using stolen administrative credentials, I gain authenticated access to vRealize Operations Manager and connected systems.
Business
Attackers achieve lateral movement across the virtualization environment and connected enterprise infrastructure.
3
Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3
Attacker
I deploy ransomware payloads across the compromised virtual infrastructure.
Business
Critical virtualization services are encrypted and rendered unavailable, causing operational shutdown and financial extortion.
04
What to do
— defensible action- Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
05