CVE-2021-27878
veritas backup exec
Published 1 Mar 2021 · updated 17 Jun 2026 · Analyzed
Exploited in the wild
CISA added this to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 7 Apr 2023, with a remediation deadline of 28 Apr 2023 for US federal agencies. It has been used in ransomware campaigns.
Required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Description
An issue was discovered in Veritas Backup Exec before 21.2. The communication between a client and an Agent requires successful authentication, which is typically completed over a secure TLS communication. However, due to a vulnerability in the SHA Authentication scheme, an attacker is able to gain unauthorized access and complete the authentication process. Subsequently, the client can execute data management protocol commands on the authenticated connection. The attacker could use one of these commands to execute an arbitrary command on the system using system privileges.
References
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/168506/Veritas-Backup-Exec-Agent-Remote-Code-Execution.html · Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- www.veritas.com/content/support/en_US/security/VTS21-001#issue3 · Vendor Advisory
- www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2021-27878 · US Government Resource