Is CVE-2021-21998 actively exploited?

No active exploitation of CVE-2021-21998 has been confirmed so far. Continue monitoring, as exploit status can change.

Can CVE-2021-21998 be exploited remotely?

Yes. CVE-2021-21998 is exploitable remotely over the network (CVSS attack vector: Network).

What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-21998?

CVE-2021-21998 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (CRITICAL).

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CRITICAL

CVE-2021-21998

CWE-287Published: June 23, 2021· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.8

CVSS v3.1

Official Description

VMware Carbon Black App Control 8.0, 8.1, 8.5 prior to 8.5.8, and 8.6 prior to 8.6.2 has an authentication bypass. A malicious actor with network access to the VMware Carbon Black App Control management server might be able to obtain administrative access to the product without the need to authenticate.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2021-21998 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 9.8.

From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-287): Authentication bypass vulnerabilities allow attackers to access protected resources without valid credentials.