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Vulnerabilities

Vulnerability · CVE-2021-27878

Veritas Backup Exec Agent Command Execution Vulnerability

Published Mar 1, 2021 · catalog updated Jun 16, 2026 · Veritas Backup Exec Agent

Patch now

CVE-2021-27878 is in the CISA known-exploited catalog, due Apr 28, 2023. Confirm Veritas Backup Exec Agent against the vendor advisory and apply that fix. The CVSS score does not change the priority.

Gaps on this record

  • No version range is stored. A customer cannot check an installed version against this record.
Severity
High8.8
Known exploitation
CISA KEV and VulnCheck KEV
EPSS
23.95%
Remediation
Remediation guidance
Affected products
cpe veritas/backup exec · vendor Veritas Backup Exec Agent

An issue was discovered in Veritas Backup Exec before 21.2. The communication between a client and an Agent requires successful authentication, which is typically completed over a secure TLS communication. However, due to a vulnerability in the SHA Authentication scheme, an attacker is able to gain unauthorized access and complete the authentication process. Subsequently, the client can execute data management protocol commands on the authenticated connection. The attacker could use one of these commands to execute an arbitrary command on the system using system privileges.

Are you affected?

Enter the version you run. The result uses only the ranges stored on this record.

The check returns affected, not affected, or incomplete. It does not guess a version that is missing from the record.

  • cpe veritas/backup execversion unspecified
  • vendor Veritas Backup Exec Agentversion unspecified

How to fix CVE-2021-27878

What to do

Three questions, each answered from this record only. Confirm the vendor advisory before you patch.

Should you patch?

CVE-2021-27878 is in the CISA known-exploited catalog, due Apr 28, 2023. Confirm Veritas Backup Exec Agent against the vendor advisory and apply that fix. The CVSS score does not change the priority.

Which versions are affected?

Affected version ranges are not on this record. Apply updates per vendor instructions.

What should an analyst verify?

CWE-287: Improper Authentication. EPSS 23.95%. The CISA KEV listing is the exploitation evidence. A public exploit reference is linked in Sources. That is not the same as confirmed exploitation. Use the source links for the original advisory.

Code

The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.

No public source repository is identified for this product.

Timeline

Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.

  1. Mar 1, 2021 · Catalog

    Detected

    An issue was discovered in Veritas Backup Exec before 21.2. The communication between a client and an Agent requires successful authentication, which is typically completed over a secure TLS communication. However, due to a vulnerability in the SHA Authentication scheme, an attacker is able to gain unauthorized access and complete the authentication process. Subsequently, the client can execute da

  2. Apr 7, 2023 · CISA KEV

    Known exploited

    Apply updates per vendor instructions.

  3. Apr 28, 2023 · CISA KEV

    Remediation due

    Apply updates per vendor instructions.

  4. Jun 16, 2026 · Catalog

    Updated

    An issue was discovered in Veritas Backup Exec before 21.2. The communication between a client and an Agent requires successful authentication, which is typically completed over a secure TLS communication. However, due to a vulnerability in the SHA Authentication scheme, an attacker is able to gain unauthorized access and complete the authentication process. Subsequently, the client can execute da

Sources

  • CISA KEVConfirmed exploitationCVE-2021-27878

    Veritas Backup Exec (BE) Agent contains a command execution vulnerability that could allow an attacker to use a data management protocol command to execute a command on the BE Agent machine.

    cisa.gov
  • CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2021-27878

    Official CVE identifier

    cve.org
  • FIRST EPSSExploitation probabilityCVE-2021-27878

    30-day exploitation probability 24.0%

    first.org
  • Metasploit ModulesPublic exploit moduleexploit_multi/veritas/beagent_sha_auth_rce

    Public module reference (excellent). Module source is not copied into this catalog.

    rapid7.com
  • NIST NVDVulnerability recordCVE-2021-27878

    An issue was discovered in Veritas Backup Exec before 21.2. The communication between a client and an Agent requires successful authentication, which is typically completed over a secure TLS communication. However, due to a vulnerability in the SHA Authentication scheme, an attac

    nvd.nist.gov
  • Packet Storm SecurityCited referencehttp://packetstormsecurity.com/files/168506/Veritas-Backup-Exec-Agent-Remote-Code-Execution.html

    Packet Storm link already published on the finding.

    packetstormsecurity.com
  • VulnCheck KEVConfirmed exploitationCVE-2021-27878

    Veritas Backup Exec (BE) Agent contains a command execution vulnerability that could allow an attacker to use a data management protocol command to execute a command on the BE Agent machine.

    vulncheck.com

References

Freshness

Last verified in this catalog Oct 17, 2026. Significant claims (KEV, EPSS, CVSS, affected ranges) come from the source rows above — open the original publisher for the authoritative advisory.