Vulnerability

CVE-2021-27878

High· 8.8KEVEXPLOITCVSS8.8EPSS1%

.rules3/5

Veritas Backup Exec Agent Command Execution Vulnerability

Veritas Backup Exec (BE) Agent contains a command execution vulnerability that could allow an attacker to use a data management protocol command to execute a command on the BE Agent machine.

Threat signal

100/100

Severe

Severity

high

CVSS

8.8

EPSS

Active

KEV

CISA KEV — actively exploited

Ransomware: Known1142d overdue

AffectedVeritas — Backup Exec Agent

Added to KEV

2023-04-07

Federal patch due (BOD 22-01)

2023-04-28

Required action (CISA verbatim)

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Vendor advisory + references

CISA description: “Veritas Backup Exec (BE) Agent contains a command execution vulnerability that could allow an attacker to use a data management protocol command to execute a command on the BE Agent machine.”

CVSS

v3.1Open in FIRST calculator →

8.8/ 10HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack VectorNetworkExploitable remotely over the internet — no local access needed.
Attack ComplexityLowNo special conditions — exploit works reliably.
Privileges RequiredLowStandard user privileges sufficient.
User InteractionNoneFully automated — no victim action needed.
ScopeUnchangedImpact contained to the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality ImpactHighTotal disclosure of sensitive data.
Integrity ImpactHighTotal compromise of integrity — full data modification possible.
Availability ImpactHighTotal loss of availability — full DoS possible.

EPSS

Exploit prediction · 30-day horizonFIRST.org →

1.09%

probability of exploitation in next 30 days

p78

higher than 78% of all CVEs

3-day trend↑ 0pp

Mid-pack — moderate exploitation likelihood.

Vendor VEX

No VEX statements published for CVE-2021-27878. Vendors publish VEX (Vulnerability Exploitability eXchange) to assert per-product whether a CVE is actually exploitable in their distribution.

SSVCAct

Active exploitation with total impact on essential/support systems

exploitation: active
automatable: yes
impact: total
mission: support

Lifecycle

2023-04-07Added to CISA KEVransomware: Known
2023-04-07Public exploit observedmetasploit
2023-04-07Published
2023-04-28Federal patch due (BOD 22-01)
2026-06-12Last modified1 source

No source-event history recorded yet. New revisions will appear here as ingestors re-fetch this CVE.