CVE-2021-20081

Exp

Incomplete List of Disallowed Inputs in ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus before version 11205 allows a remote, authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary commands with SYSTEM privileges.

Published: 2021-06-10 Last update: 2026-06-16 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2021-20081 is rated High Exploit Risk (77.1/100): CVSS High severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 52.42%, 99th percentile). 1 public exploit reference(s) are indexed (Exploit-DB). Public exploits are available—assess exposure, apply mitigations, and prioritize patching.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Public exploit references (Exploit-DB) for CVE-2021-20081

EDB-ID Source Kind Published Link
— nvd_ref exploit_tag Exploit-DB ↗

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2021-20081

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 53.70% 52.42% -1.28%
2 2026-06-12 56.73% 53.70% -3.03%
3 2026-05-01 — 56.73% —

Full EPSS history (23 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2021-20081

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.2 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:H)
They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 1.2 5.9 [email protected]
9.0 2.0 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:L)
Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable.
Authentication (AU:S)
A single authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:C)
Complete confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:C)
Complete integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:C)
Complete availability impact.
 8.0 10.0 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2021-20081

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2021-20081

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
zohocorp manageengine_servicedesk_plus < 11.2 cpe:2.3:a:zohocorp:manageengine_servicedesk_plus:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
zohocorp manageengine_servicedesk_plus 11.2 cpe:2.3:a:zohocorp:manageengine_servicedesk_plus:11.2:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
zohocorp manageengine_servicedesk_plus 11.2 cpe:2.3:a:zohocorp:manageengine_servicedesk_plus:11.2:build11201:*:*:*:*:*:*
zohocorp manageengine_servicedesk_plus 11.2 cpe:2.3:a:zohocorp:manageengine_servicedesk_plus:11.2:build11202:*:*:*:*:*:*
zohocorp manageengine_servicedesk_plus 11.2 cpe:2.3:a:zohocorp:manageengine_servicedesk_plus:11.2:build11203:*:*:*:*:*:*
zohocorp manageengine_servicedesk_plus 11.2 cpe:2.3:a:zohocorp:manageengine_servicedesk_plus:11.2:build11204:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2021-20081

URL Tags
https://www.tenable.com/security/research/tra-2021-22 Exploit Third Party Advisory
cvelogic Threat Intelligence