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Vrealize AutomationApplication · VMware

CVE-2021-22036

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-10-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.6 or later.
See remediation →
72/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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.

NVD · unedited
VMware vRealize Orchestrator ((8.x prior to 8.6) contains an open redirect vulnerability due to improper path handling. A malicious actor may be able to redirect victim to an attacker controlled domain due to improper path handling in vRealize Orchestrator leading to sensitive information disclosure.

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.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

VMware vRealize Orchestrator 8.x prior to version 8.6 contains an open redirect vulnerability caused by improper path handling. Attackers can craft malicious URLs that redirect authenticated users to attacker-controlled external domains, potentially leading to credential theft or sensitive information disclosure through phishing attacks.

MitigationUpgrade vRealize Orchestrator to version 8.6 or later to address the improper path handling vulnerability.

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

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.

NVD · CPE data
Vrealize AutomationApplication
Affected:>= 8.0, < 8.6
Vrealize OrchestratorApplication
Affected:>= 8.0, < 8.6

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.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

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

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.

dbcve checks

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

  1. Identify the installed VMware product
    Access the web administration console or use the product's built-in version information page. For vRealize Orchestrator, this is typically accessible at /vco or /orchestration. For vRealize Automation, check the tenant admin or lifecycle manager interface.
    Affected if The product is either VMware vRealize Orchestrator or VMware vRealize Automation running version 8.0 or later.
  2. Determine the exact version number
    Locate the version information in the product's About or System Information section within the administrative interface. Alternatively, check the installation directory or use the product's command-line interface if available.
    Affected if The version shows a number lower than 8.6 (for example, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, or 8.5.x).
  3. Confirm the product is accessible over the network
    Verify that the vRealize Orchestrator or vRealize Automation web interface is reachable on the configured port (default 443 for HTTPS). Attempt to access the login page.
    Affected if The web interface responds, meaning the service is running and exposed.
  4. Verify authentication is enabled
    Confirm that the installation requires authentication for access. The open redirect affects authenticated sessions, so verify that user authentication is configured and enforced.
    Affected if The system requires valid credentials to access the orchestration or automation interfaces.

You are affected if vRealize Orchestrator or vRealize Automation version 8.0 or later but earlier than 8.6 is installed and the web interface is accessible and configured with authentication.

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

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 8.6 or later
Fixed in 8.6
Interim mitigation

Upgrade vRealize Orchestrator to version 8.6 or later to address the improper path handling vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

VMware vRealize Orchestrator 8.6

  1. 1. Review the VMware vRealize Orchestrator 8.6 release notes and upgrade documentation for compatibility requirements
  2. 2. Ensure all prerequisites are met including database backup and system requirements
  3. 3. Perform a complete backup of the vRealize Orchestrator configuration and data
  4. 4. Schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade process
  5. 5. Download VMware vRealize Orchestrator 8.6 or later from the VMware Customer Connect portal
  6. 6. Follow the official VMware upgrade guide to upgrade vRealize Orchestrator from version 8.0-8.5.x to version 8.6 or later
  7. 7. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the vRealize Orchestrator services and web interface
  8. 8. Validate that the open redirect vulnerability is resolved by testing the affected path handling functionality
Caveat Review upgrade documentation for potential compatibility changes with existing workflows and plugins; test in non-production environment first

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

Fix this in Vrealize Automation Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

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

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-22036 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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