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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.

Official resources

Publicly disclosed through official vulnerability records and included in CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-01-10. The supplied source corpus does not indicate a separate vendor advisory in this dataset.