CVE-2021-22005

CRITICAL KEV RANSOMWARE NUCLEI

VMware Cloud Foundation 3.0-4.0 and vCenter Server - Arbitrary File Upload via Analytics Service

Title source: llm
STIX 2.1

Exploitation Summary

CVE-2021-22005 is actively exploited and listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added November 3, 2021, with confirmed use in ransomware campaigns. EIP tracks 15 public exploits from researchers including shmilylty, rwincey, TaroballzChen, including a Metasploit module exploits/linux/http/vmware_vcenter_analytics_file_upload. A Nuclei detection template is also available.

AI-analyzed exploit summary This repository contains a functional exploit for CVE-2021-22005, an arbitrary file upload vulnerability in VMware vCenter Server's analytics service. The exploit leverages directory traversal and a malicious manifest to write a JSP webshell to the target system, achieving remote code execution.

Description

The vCenter Server contains an arbitrary file upload vulnerability in the Analytics service. A malicious actor with network access to port 443 on vCenter Server may exploit this issue to execute code on vCenter Server by uploading a specially crafted file.

Exploits (15)

nomisec WORKING POC 195 stars
by shmilylty · remote
https://github.com/shmilylty/cve-2021-22005-exp

This repository contains a functional exploit for CVE-2021-22005, an arbitrary file upload vulnerability in VMware vCenter Server's analytics service. The exploit leverages directory traversal and a malicious manifest to write a JSP webshell to the target system, achieving remote code execution.

Classification
Working Poc 100%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: VMware vCenter Server 7.0 < 7.0 U2c, 6.7 < 6.7 U3o
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to vCenter Server on port 443 · Target must be a Linux-based vCenter Server
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 37 stars
by rwincey · remote
https://github.com/rwincey/CVE-2021-22005

This PoC exploits CVE-2021-22005, a server-side template injection vulnerability in VMware vCenter Server, to achieve remote code execution (RCE) by uploading a malicious JSP webshell. The exploit leverages the analytics service to deploy a crafted manifest that writes a webshell to the server, which is then accessible for command execution.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: VMware vCenter Server (versions affected by CVE-2021-22005)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the vCenter Server · Analytics service enabled and accessible
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 22 stars
by TaroballzChen · remote
https://github.com/TaroballzChen/CVE-2021-22005-metasploit

This repository contains functional Metasploit modules for CVE-2021-22005, an arbitrary file upload vulnerability in VMware vCenter Server. The PoC uploads a harmless JSP file, while the exploit module achieves RCE by uploading a malicious payload.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: VMware vCenter Server (versions affected by CVE-2021-22005)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to port 443 on vCenter Server · No authentication required
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 21 stars
by Jun-5heng · remote
https://github.com/Jun-5heng/CVE-2021-22005

This repository contains a functional exploit for CVE-2021-22005, a VMware vCenter Server arbitrary file upload vulnerability. The Python script automates the creation of an agent and uploads a malicious manifest to achieve remote code execution via a JSP webshell.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: VMware vCenter Server
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the vCenter Server · vCenter Server with vulnerable version
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec SCANNER 13 stars
by 5gstudent · infoleak
https://github.com/5gstudent/CVE-2021-22005-

The repository contains a Python script that scans for CVE-2021-22005 by sending a crafted HTTP POST request to a specific endpoint and checking the response status code. It does not include exploit code for achieving remote code execution or other offensive actions.

Classification
Scanner 90%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Reliable
Target: VMware vRealize Operations Manager (vROps)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: List of target URLs in a text file
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec SCANNER 8 stars
by 1ZRR4H · poc
https://github.com/1ZRR4H/CVE-2021-22005

This repository contains a one-liner bash script that checks for the presence of CVE-2021-22005 in VMware vCenter by sending a crafted HTTP POST request to the vulnerable endpoint and analyzing the response code. It does not exploit the vulnerability but scans for its presence.

Classification
Scanner 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Reliable
Target: VMware vCenter
No auth needed
Prerequisites: List of target VMware vCenter instances
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 2 stars
by tiagob0b · poc
https://github.com/tiagob0b/CVE-2021-22005

This repository contains functional exploit code for CVE-2021-22005, an arbitrary file upload vulnerability in VMware vCenter Server. The PoC demonstrates file upload and RCE capabilities via Metasploit modules.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: VMware vCenter Server
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to port 443 on vCenter Server
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec SUSPICIOUS 1 stars
by RedTeamExp · poc
https://github.com/RedTeamExp/CVE-2021-22005_PoC

The repository contains no actual exploit code but instead redirects to external links for a gist and a PoC in another repository. The README lacks technical details about the vulnerability and serves as a placeholder with minimal content.

Classification
Suspicious 90%
Attack Type
Other
Complexity
Theoretical
Reliability
Theoretical
Target: VMware vCenter Server
No auth needed
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec SCANNER 1 stars
by pisut4152 · poc
https://github.com/pisut4152/Sigma-Rule-for-CVE-2021-22005-scanning-activity

This repository contains a Sigma rule designed to detect scanning activity for CVE-2021-22005, a vulnerability in VMware vCenter. The rule monitors for POST requests to a specific URI path associated with the vulnerability.

Classification
Scanner 90%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Reliable
Target: VMware vCenter Server
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Access to web server logs
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC
by InventorMAO · remote
https://github.com/InventorMAO/cve-2021-22005

This PoC exploits CVE-2021-22005, a server-side template injection vulnerability in VMware vCenter Server, to achieve remote code execution (RCE) by deploying a webshell. The exploit leverages path traversal and template injection to write a malicious JSP file to the server.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: VMware vCenter Server (versions affected by CVE-2021-22005)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the target vCenter Server · Target must be vulnerable to CVE-2021-22005
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec SCANNER
by Jeromeyoung · poc
https://github.com/Jeromeyoung/VMWare-CVE-Check

The repository contains scripts to detect CVE-2021-22005 in VMware vCenter Server by sending a crafted HTTP POST request to the telemetry endpoint and checking for a 201 response. It does not exploit the vulnerability but scans for its presence.

Classification
Scanner 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Reliable
Target: VMware vCenter Server (versions affected by CVE-2021-22005)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the target vCenter Server · List of target IPs/domains in a text file
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
vulncheck_xdb WORKING POC
remote
https://github.com/Schira4396/VcenterKiller

This repository contains a functional exploit tool for multiple VMware vCenter vulnerabilities, including CVE-2021-22005. It provides command execution, file upload, and reverse shell capabilities, with specific modules for different CVEs.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: VMware vCenter
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the target vCenter server · Go environment to compile the tool
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 25, 2026 Full analysis →
vulncheck_xdb WORKING POC
remote
https://github.com/timb-machine-mirrors/testanull-CVE-2021-22005.py

This exploit leverages a directory traversal and arbitrary file write vulnerability in VMware vCenter Server to deploy a malicious JSP shell, enabling remote code execution. The script automates the creation of an agent, injection of a malicious manifest, and interaction with the deployed shell.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: VMware vCenter Server (versions affected by CVE-2021-22005)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the target vCenter Server · vCenter Server with vulnerable analytics service exposed
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 25, 2026 Full analysis →
vulncheck_xdb WORKING POC
remote
https://github.com/CrackerCat/CVE-2021-22006

The repository contains a functional exploit for CVE-2021-22005, which targets VMware vCenter Server. The exploit leverages a file upload vulnerability to achieve remote code execution (RCE) by creating a malicious agent and uploading a JSP shell.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: VMware vCenter Server
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the target vCenter Server · vCenter Server with vulnerable version
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 25, 2026 Full analysis →
metasploit WORKING POC EXCELLENT
by George Noseevich, Sergey Gerasimov, VMware, Derek Abdine, wvu · rubypocunix
https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/linux/http/vmware_vcenter_analytics_file_upload.rb

This Metasploit module exploits a file upload vulnerability in VMware vCenter Server's analytics/telemetry (CEIP) service to write a system crontab and execute shell commands as the root user. It leverages path traversal to place a malicious crontab file in /etc/cron.d/.

Classification
Working Poc 100%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: VMware vCenter Server (CEIP enabled)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: CEIP must be enabled (default) · Network access to TCP/443
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →

Nuclei Templates (1)

VMware vCenter Server - Arbitrary File Upload
CRITICALby PR3R00T

Scores

CVSS v3 9.8
EPSS 0.9445
EPSS Percentile 100.0%
Attack Vector NETWORK
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CISA SSVC

Vulnrichment
Exploitation active
Automatable yes
Technical Impact total

Details

CISA KEV 2021-11-03
VulnCheck KEV 2021-09-24
InTheWild.io 2021-09-24
ENISA EUVD EUVD-2021-9174
Ransomware Use Confirmed
CWE
CWE-22
Status published
Products (4)
vmware/cloud_foundation 3.0 - 5.0
vmware/vcenter_server 6.5
vmware/vcenter_server 6.7
vmware/vcenter_server 7.0
Published Sep 23, 2021
KEV Added Nov 03, 2021
Tracked Since Feb 18, 2026