Cloud FoundationApplication · VMware

CVE-2021-21975

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-03-31

Mitigation only

No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.

See remediation →

100/100

Remediation priority · Urgent

In the wild Ransomware High EPSS Public exploit Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

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.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

CVE-2021-21975 is a Server Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in the vRealize Operations Manager API affecting versions prior to 8.4. An attacker with network access to the API can craft malicious requests that cause the server to make unintended outbound requests to internal or external resources, enabling theft of administrative credentials.

MitigationUpgrade vRealize Operations Manager to version 8.4 or later to remediate this vulnerability. As a compensating control, restrict network access to the API to trusted sources and implement network segmentation to limit the impact of potential SSRF exploitation.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

Cloud FoundationApplication

Affected:= 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

Vrealize Operations ManagerApplication

Affected:= 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 ManagerApplication

Affected:= 8.0= 8.0.1= 8.1= 8.2

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: Low
Privileges: None
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
Availability: None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

Identify if vRealize products are installed

Review installed software or check for running services related to vRealize Operations Manager, vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager, or VMware Cloud Foundation on your systems

Affected if Any of these three products are found on the system
Determine the installed version of vRealize Operations Manager

Access the administration interface or check the product version through the API or system information. For vRealize Operations Manager, the version is typically visible in the login page footer or via the API endpoint /suite-api/api/versions

Affected if The version is 8.3.0 or earlier (for vRealize Operations Manager specifically)
Determine the installed version of VMware Cloud Foundation

Check the Cloud Foundation administration console or system inventory for the version number

Affected if The version is 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, or 3.9.1
Determine the installed version of vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager

Check the Lifecycle Manager interface or system information for the version number

Affected if The version is 8.0, 8.0.1, 8.1, or 8.2
Verify network accessibility of the API

Determine if the vRealize Operations Manager API (typically port 443 or 8443) is exposed to untrusted networks. Check firewall rules, load balancer configurations, or networkACLs governing access to the API endpoints

Affected if The API is accessible from networks outside your trusted administration zone

You are affected if any vRealize Operations Manager version 8.3.0 or earlier, Cloud Foundation versions listed, or vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager versions 8.0-8.2 is running AND the API is network-accessible to untrusted sources.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime

Mitigation

Upgrade vRealize Operations Manager to version 8.4 or later to remediate this vulnerability. As a compensating control, restrict network access to the API to trusted sources and implement network segmentation to limit the impact of potential SSRF exploitation.

Recommended fix High confidence

vRealize Operations Manager 8.4.0 or later; Cloud Foundation and vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager versions incorporating the 8.4 fix

1. Review the VMware vRealize Operations Manager 8.4 release notes and upgrade documentation for compatibility requirements
2. Create a complete backup of the current vRealize Operations Manager deployment, including all node configurations
3. Schedule a maintenance window as the upgrade may require downtime
4. For vRealize Operations Manager: upgrade to version 8.4.0 or later (the fixed release)
5. For Cloud Foundation: upgrade to a version that includes vRealize Operations Manager 8.4 or later
6. For vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager: upgrade to version 8.3 or later which includes the vRealize Operations Manager 8.4 fix
7. After upgrade, verify the SSRF vulnerability is resolved by confirming the /api/internal/ssrf endpoint is no longer accessible or properly restricted
8. Test that all vRealize Operations Manager API functionality works correctly post-upgrade

Caveat Major version upgrades may introduce UI/API changes - test thoroughly in non-production environment first

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Cloud Foundation Exploited in the wild — priority engagement

Consultation3.0 h
Implementation6.0 h
Testing5.0 h
Review / QA2.0 h

16.0 hours of engineering $2,790

Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,464.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

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References

Primary sources

packetstormsecurity.comProof of Concept
www.vmware.comVendor Advisory
packetstormsecurity.comExploitThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
www.cisa.govUS Government Resource
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-21975 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2021-21975?

The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.

The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
A config change or rule that shut the vector down
A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here

Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data

At a glance

Exploited in the wildOn CISA’s known-exploited list · agencies must fix by 2022-02-01

A fix existsA vendor remedy is published

Severity 7.5 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 78.3%

Affects: Cloud Foundation

Remediation

Being exploited — close it fast

Fix this in Cloud Foundation 16 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $2,790

Get it fixed fast See the full breakdown ↓

This CVE is on CISA’s actively-exploited list, so the clock is real — a vetted specialist can deliver a reviewed fix for your staging environment quickly.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

Check your environment

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References