Is CVE-2021-22681 actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2021-22681 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, which means exploitation in the wild has been confirmed.

Can CVE-2021-22681 be exploited remotely?

The attack vector of CVE-2021-22681 has not been classified yet.

What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-22681?

CVE-2021-22681 has not received a CVSS score yet.

HOME VULNERABILITIESCVE-2021-22681

UNKNOWNCISA KEVIN THE WILD

CVE-2021-22681

Published: April 11, 2026

EPSS:15.38%probability of exploitation in 30 daysPercentile:94.6th

Official Description

Multiple Rockwell products contain an insufficient protected credentials vulnerability. Studio 5000 Logix Designer software may allow a key to be discovered. This key is used to verify Logix controllers are communicating with Rockwell Automation design software. If successfully exploited, this vulnerability could allow an unauthorized application to connect with Logix controllers. To leverage this vulnerability, an unauthorized user would require network access to the controller.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2021-22681 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

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

CISA has added CVE-2021-22681 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming active exploitation in the wild. U.S. federal agencies are required to patch this within the mandated timeframe, and all organizations should treat remediation as urgent.

Exploit & PoC Resources

ACTIVE EXPLOITATIONConfirmed exploitation in the wild

Exploit-DB

Offensive Security exploit database

GitHub PoC Search

Community PoC repositories

Rapid7 / Metasploit

Metasploit module search

PacketStorm

Security advisories & exploits

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News & Research Mentioning CVE-2021-22681

Iranian-Affiliated Cyber Actors Exploit Programmable Logic Controllers Across US Critical Infrastructure

CISA Alerts· Apr 7, 2026

Advisory at a Glance Title Iranian-Affiliated Cyber Actors Exploit Programmable Logic Controllers Across US Critical Infrastructure Original Publication April 7, 2026 Executive Summary Iran-affiliated advanced persistent threat (APT) actors are conducting exploitation activity targeting internet-facing operational technology (OT) devices, including programmable logic controllers (PLCs) manufactured by Rockwell Automation/Allen-Bradley. This activity has led to PLC disruptions across several U.S. critical infrastructure sectors through malicious interactions with the project file and manipulation of data on human machine interface (HMI) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) displays, resulting in operational disruption and financial los [xlite_meta score:75 src:CISA Alerts xlite_fp:4b1ff5197b56d2bc245addcead12754dec3884598300f475040e026a278faefe]

CISA Adds Five Known Exploited Vulnerabilities to Catalog

CISA Alerts· Mar 5, 2026

CISA has added five new vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Catalog, based on evidence of active exploitation. CVE-2017-7921 Hikvision Multiple Products Improper Authentication Vulnerability CVE-2021-22681 Rockwell Multiple Products Insufficient Protected Credentials Vulnerability CVE-2021-30952 Apple Multiple Products Integer Overflow or Wraparound Vulnerability CVE-2023-41974 Apple iOS and iPadOS Use-After-Free Vulnerability CVE-2023-43000 Apple Multiple products Use-After-Free Vulnerability These types of vulnerabilities are frequent attack vectors for malicious cyber actors and pose significant risks to the federal enterprise. Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 22-01: Reducing the Significant Risk of Known Exploited Vuln [xlite_meta score:60 src:CISA Alerts xlite_fp:165b5f850ff27845912a94f08bffe9b643bd34ae020914d5914015be5e7ed84e]