CVE-2021-22515 | Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) downgrade exposure in NetIQ Advanced Authentication Server

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) functionality can be bypassed, allowing the use of single factor authentication in NetIQ Advanced Authentication versions prior to 6.3 SP4 Patch 1.

Published: 2021-07-12 Last update: 2024-11-21 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2021-22515 is rated Low Risk (32.4/100): CVSS Medium severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.19%). Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

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

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2021-22515

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 2025-03-30 0.40% 0.19% -0.21%
2 2025-03-29 0.19% 0.40% +0.21%
3 2025-03-17 — 0.19% —

Full EPSS history (8 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2021-22515

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
4.8 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:A)
Attacker has to be nearby on the network—same office, same link, that vibe—not the whole wide internet.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
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.
 1.2 3.6 [email protected]
6.5 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N 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:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
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:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:N)
Service keeps running; no real outage angle.
 2.8 3.6 [email protected]
4.0 2.0 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:N/I:P/A:N 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:N)
No confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:P)
Partial integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:N)
No availability impact.
 8.0 2.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2021-22515

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2021-22515

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:*:*:*:*:*:*
microfocus netiq_advanced_authentication 6.3 cpe:2.3:a:microfocus:netiq_advanced_authentication:6.3:sp4:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2021-22515

cvelogic Threat Intelligence