CVE-2021-35941
Published: April 11, 2026
Official Description
Western Digital WD My Book Live (2.x and later) and WD My Book Live Duo (all versions) have an administrator API that can perform a system factory restore without authentication, as exploited in the wild in June 2021, a different vulnerability than CVE-2018-18472.
Risk Analysis
Western Digital WD My Book Live and My Book Live Duo devices have an administrator API that allows unauthenticated factory resets. This can lead to data loss and denial of service. The inclusion in CISA's KEV catalog indicates confirmed exploitation.
Active exploitation of this vulnerability has been observed in the wild since June 2021. This flaw is remotely exploitable without authentication.
Disconnect affected Western Digital My Book Live and My Book Live Duo devices from the internet. Check for any vendor-provided security advisories or updates.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2021-35941 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-2021-35941 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
Quick Facts
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2021-35941 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
- !CISA KEV: Federal agencies must patch per BOD 22-01 timeline
- !Active exploitation confirmed — treat as P1