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CVE-2021-27877

Veritas Backup Exec Agent Improper Authentication

8.2 HIGHActively exploited (CISA KEV)Used in ransomwarePublic exploitEPSS 64.9%
  1. Published1 Mar 2021
  2. Added to CISA KEV7 Apr 2023
  3. Remediation due28 Apr 2023
Actively exploited (CISA KEV)

Veritas Backup Exec (BE) Agent contains an improper authentication vulnerability that could allow an attacker unauthorized access to the BE Agent via SHA authentication scheme.

Added to KEV: 7 Apr 2023Federal remediation due: 28 Apr 2023Used in ransomware

Description

An issue was discovered in Veritas Backup Exec before 21.2. It supports multiple authentication schemes: SHA authentication is one of these. This authentication scheme is no longer used in current versions of the product, but hadn't yet been disabled. An attacker could remotely exploit this scheme to gain unauthorized access to an Agent and execute privileged commands.

CVSS 3.1 breakdown

Attack vectorNetwork
Attack complexityLow
Privileges requiredNone
User interactionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityLow
AvailabilityNone
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N

Affected products

Veritas Backup Exec< 21.2

Remediation

Fixed in
Veritas Backup Exec≥ 21.2

References

Frequently asked

Is CVE-2021-27877 being actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2021-27877 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added 7 Apr 2023. It has been used in ransomware campaigns.

How severe is CVE-2021-27877?

CVE-2021-27877 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.2, rated high. EPSS estimates a 64.9% probability of exploitation.

Which products are affected by CVE-2021-27877?

Affected products include Veritas Backup Exec.

How do I fix CVE-2021-27877?

Upgrade affected software to a fixed version, for example Veritas Backup Exec 21.2 or later, then confirm no affected versions remain in your inventory.

How Secuno handles this

Secuno correlates vulnerabilities like CVE-2021-27877 against the real software inventory on every managed device, every day. Rather than a static severity, each match is scored in context: exploit availability, EPSS, the asset's exposure, and business criticality decide where it lands in the queue. Because it is on the CISA KEV list, Secuno flags any affected asset as top-priority automatically. If an affected version is present anywhere across your portfolio, it surfaces automatically with a prioritised remediation path.

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Data from the NVD, CISA KEV catalog and FIRST EPSS. CVSS 3.1 base score shown where available.