CVE-2021-22497 [Low] | Authentication Bypass in Netiq Advanced Authentication

CVE-2021-22497 is rated Low Risk (31.9/100): CVSS Low severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.25%). Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

#	Date	Old EPSS score	New EPSS score	Delta (New - Old)
1	2025-11-21	0.26%	0.25%	-0.01%
2	2025-11-18	0.25%	0.26%	+0.01%
3	2025-03-30	—	0.25%	—

Date

Old EPSS score

New EPSS score

Delta (New - Old)

2025-11-21

0.26%

0.25%

-0.01%

2025-11-18

0.25%

0.26%

+0.01%

2025-03-30

—

0.25%

—

Base score	Version	Severity	Vector	Exploitability	Impact	Score source
3.8	3.1	LOW	`CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N` Click to expand Attack vector (AV:P) Hands-on access—USB, keyboard, opening the case—not something you do purely over the wire. Attack complexity (AC:H) Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work. 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:N) Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged. Availability (A:N) Service keeps running; no real outage angle.	0.2	3.6	[email protected]
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]
6.5	2.0	MEDIUM	`AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:P` 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:P) Partial confidentiality impact. Integrity impact (I:P) Partial integrity impact. Availability impact (A:P) Partial availability impact.	8.0	6.4	[email protected]

Base score

Version

Severity

Vector

Exploitability

Impact

Score source

3.8

3.1

LOW

CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N Click to expand

Attack vector (AV:P): Hands-on access—USB, keyboard, opening the case—not something you do purely over the wire.
Attack complexity (AC:H): Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
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:N): Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:N): Service keeps running; no real outage angle.

0.2

3.6

[email protected]

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]

6.5

2.0

MEDIUM

AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:P 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:P): Partial confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:P): Partial integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:P): Partial availability impact.

8.0

6.4

[email protected]

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2021-22497

Vendor	Product	Version	Raw CPE
microfocus	netiq_advanced_authentication	< 6.3	cpe:2.3:a:microfocus:netiq_advanced_authentication::::::::
microfocus	netiq_advanced_authentication	6.3	cpe:2.3:a:microfocus:netiq_advanced_authentication:6.3:-::::::
microfocus	netiq_advanced_authentication	6.3	cpe:2.3:a:microfocus:netiq_advanced_authentication:6.3:sp1::::::
microfocus	netiq_advanced_authentication	6.3	cpe:2.3:a:microfocus:netiq_advanced_authentication:6.3:sp2::::::
microfocus	netiq_advanced_authentication	6.3	cpe:2.3:a:microfocus:netiq_advanced_authentication:6.3:sp3::::::

References for CVE-2021-22497

URL	Tags
https://www.netiq.com/documentation/advanced-authentication-63/advanced-authentication-releasenotes-634/data/advanced-authentication-releasenotes-634.html

URL

CVE-2021-22497 | Advanced Authentication Improper Session Management

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2021-22497

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2021-22497

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2021-22497

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2021-22497

References for CVE-2021-22497