IRONSMITHINTEL
HIGHCVSS7.5
|
Actively Exploited
|CISA KEV|CVE-2021-21975|Auth: none — unauthenticated|Reboot: required|Manual only

VMware Server Side Request Forgery in vRealize Operations Manager API

Server Side Request Forgery (SSRF) in vRealize Operations Manager API prior to 8.4 may allow a malicious actor with network access to the vRealize Operations Manager API to perform a SSRF attack to steal administrative credentials.

Published Mar 31, 2021 · Updated May 16, 2026
Why patchRisk explained in plain English
Worst-case scenarioIf unpatched

A remote attacker, without authentication, can achieve full data confidentiality loss. CISA has confirmed use of this vulnerability in known ransomware campaigns — treat as high priority for remediation. Federal agencies are required to remediate by 2022-02-01 under CISA BOD 22-01.

How the attack worksNo clicks needed

This is a Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) (CWE-918) vulnerability in VMware vRealize Operations Manager API. Server Side Request Forgery in vRealize Operations Manager API (CVE-2021-21975) prior to 8.4 may allow a malicious actor with network access to the vRealize Operations Manager API can perform a Server Side Request Forgery attack to steal administrative credentials. Exploitation requires remote network access, low attack complexity, no authentication required, and no user interaction required.

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Phishing link

→

🖼

Malicious file

🔓

Server compromised

Am I affected?Quick check

Probably yes if any of these apply:

●Virtualisation Administrators
●Infrastructure Team
●IT Security
●Running cloud foundation: 3.0, 3.0.1, 3.0.1.1, 3.5, 3.5.1, 3.7, 3.7.1, 3.7.2, 3.8, 3.8.1, 3.9, 3.9.1, 3.10, 4.0, 4.0.1; vrealize operations manager: 7.0.0, 7.5.0, 8.0.0, 8.0.1, 8.1.0, 8.1.1, 8.2.0, 8.3.0; vrealize suite lifecycle manager: 8.0, 8.0.1, 8.1, 8.2
Real-world incidentsWhat we've seen

Used in known ransomware campaigns. Threat-research write-up: http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/162349/VMware-vRealize-Operations-Manager-Server-Side-Request-Forgery-Code-Execution.html

How to patch

Manual remediation steps

Apply the Vendor Patch

This vulnerability is in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog — apply the vendor's security update as soon as possible.

CISA required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.

References

    1
    Vendor advisory: https://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2021-0004.html
    1
    NVD entry: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-21975
    1
    CISA KEV: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2021-21975
PowerShell automationComing soon

No tested PowerShell script for this entry yet. We’re prioritising automation based on user demand.

References

↗ CVE-2021-21975↗ NVD↗ Vendor Advisory