HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2021-22159
HIGH

CVE-2021-22159

CWE-306Published: January 26, 2021· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

7.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

Insider Threat Management Windows Agent Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability The Proofpoint Insider Threat Management (formerly ObserveIT) Agent for Windows before 7.4.3, 7.5.4, 7.6.5, 7.7.5, 7.8.4, 7.9.3, 7.10.2, and 7.11.0.25 as well as versions 7.3 and earlier is missing authentication for a critical function, which allows a local authenticated Windows user to run arbitrary commands with the privileges of the Windows SYSTEM user. Agents for MacOS, Linux, and ITM Cloud are not affected.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2021-22159 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

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 7.8.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.Low
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

proofpoint1 product(s)
insider threat management
Source: NVD CPE · 1 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

ADVISORYhttps://www.proofpoint.com/us/security/security-advisories
ADVISORYhttps://www.proofpoint.com/us/security/security-advisories/pfpt-sa-2021-0001
ADVISORYhttps://www.proofpoint.com/us/security/security-advisories
ADVISORYhttps://www.proofpoint.com/us/security/security-advisories/pfpt-sa-2021-0001

All References (4)

→
https://www.proofpoint.com/us/security/security-advisoriesVendor Advisory
→
https://www.proofpoint.com/us/security/security-advisories/pfpt-sa-2021-0001Vendor Advisory
→
https://www.proofpoint.com/us/security/security-advisoriesVendor Advisory
→
https://www.proofpoint.com/us/security/security-advisories/pfpt-sa-2021-0001Vendor Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2021-22159
CVSS Score7.8 / 10
SeverityHIGH
WeaknessCWE-306
CISA KEVNo
Affected1 vendor(s)
PublishedJan 26, 2021

Related CVEs (CWE-306)

CVE-2014-9197
10.0
CVE-2025-9574
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CVE-2026-34162
10.0
CVE-2026-3611
10.0
CVE-2025-55108
10.0
CVE-2023-48426
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2021-22159 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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