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PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2021-22017 VMware CVE debrief

CVE-2021-22017 is an improper access control issue in VMware vCenter Server that CISA lists in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Because it is marked as known to be exploited, organizations running vCenter Server should treat it as a high-priority remediation item and apply VMware’s updates as soon as possible.

Vendor
VMware
Product
vCenter Server
CVSS
Unknown
CISA KEV
Listed
Original CVE published
2022-01-10
Original CVE updated
2022-01-10
Advisory published
2022-01-10
Advisory updated
2022-01-10

Who should care

VMware vCenter Server administrators, virtualization platform owners, infrastructure security teams, and incident response teams responsible for internet-facing or broadly reachable management systems.

Technical summary

The available official source material identifies CVE-2021-22017 only at a high level as an improper access control vulnerability in VMware vCenter Server. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-01-10, which indicates it is known to be exploited in the wild. The source corpus does not provide a more detailed technical mechanism, so remediation guidance should focus on vendor-prescribed updates and exposure review rather than assumptions about a specific attack path.

Defensive priority

High. CISA KEV inclusion makes this a time-sensitive remediation item, especially where vCenter Server supports critical virtualization and management functions.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Apply VMware updates per vendor instructions for vCenter Server.
  • Confirm which vCenter Server instances are deployed and whether any are reachable from untrusted networks.
  • Review access controls around vCenter Server management interfaces and administrative accounts.
  • Check security monitoring and logs for suspicious access attempts or unusual administrative activity.
  • Prioritize remediation before or by the CISA KEV due date when feasible, based on operational constraints.

Evidence notes

CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog lists the issue as "VMware vCenter Server Improper Access Control" with dateAdded 2022-01-10 and dueDate 2022-01-24, and the catalog notes "Apply updates per vendor instructions." The official CVE and NVD records are provided as supporting references, but the supplied corpus does not include deeper technical detail beyond the vulnerability class and affected product.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2021-22017 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-22017

    CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.

  • CVE-2021-22017 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-22017

    NIST National Vulnerability Database - Official NIST NVD detail page and source-specific vulnerability assessment.

  • CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog

    Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency - Official CISA catalog of vulnerabilities known to be exploited in the wild.

Supplemental references

  • Source item URL

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/feeds/known_exploited_vulnerabilities.json

    cisa_kev

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.