CVE-2021-22524 [Medium] | Denial of Service in Access Manager

CVE-2021-22524 is rated Low Risk (35.6/100): CVSS Medium severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.20%). Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

#	Date	Old EPSS score	New EPSS score	Delta (New - Old)
1	2025-03-17	0.07%	0.20%	+0.12%
2	2023-03-07	0.89%	0.07%	-0.81%
3	2022-04-01	—	0.89%	—

Date

Old EPSS score

New EPSS score

Delta (New - Old)

2025-03-17

0.07%

0.20%

+0.12%

2023-03-07

0.89%

0.07%

-0.81%

2022-04-01

—

0.89%

—

Base score	Version	Severity	Vector	Exploitability	Impact	Score source
5.4	3.1	MEDIUM	`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:N/I:N/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: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:R) A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land. Scope (S:C) Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius. Confidentiality (C:N) Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way. Integrity (I:N) Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged. Availability (A:H) Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.	1.0	4.0	[email protected]
4.9	3.1	MEDIUM	`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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:N) Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way. Integrity (I:N) Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged. Availability (A:H) Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.	1.2	3.6	[email protected]
4.0	2.0	MEDIUM	`AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:N/I:N/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:N) No confidentiality impact. Integrity impact (I:N) No integrity impact. Availability impact (A:P) Partial availability impact.	8.0	2.9	[email protected]

Base score

Version

Severity

Vector

Exploitability

Impact

Score source

5.4

3.1

MEDIUM

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:N/I:N/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: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:R): A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land.
Scope (S:C): Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:N): Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N): Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H): Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.

1.0

4.0

[email protected]

4.9

3.1

MEDIUM

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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:N): Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N): Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H): Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.

1.2

3.6

[email protected]

4.0

2.0

MEDIUM

AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:N/I:N/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:N): No confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:N): No integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:P): Partial availability impact.

8.0

2.9

[email protected]

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2021-22524

Vendor	Product	Version	Raw CPE
microfocus	access_manager	>= 4.5.0, < 4.5.4	cpe:2.3:a:microfocus:access_manager::::::::
microfocus	access_manager	>= 5.0, < 5.0.1	cpe:2.3:a:microfocus:access_manager::::::::

References for CVE-2021-22524

URL	Tags
https://support.microfocus.com/kb/doc.php?id=7025256
https://www.microfocus.com/documentation/access-manager/5.0/accessmanager501-release-notes/accessmanager501-release-notes.html

URL

CVE-2021-22524 | Denial of service vulnerability in NetIQ Access Manager versions prior to version 4.5.4 and 5.0.1

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2021-22524

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2021-22524

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2021-22524

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2021-22524

References for CVE-2021-22524