CRITICAL · CVSS 9.8 CISA Known Exploited Vulnerability Used in ransomware attacks

CVE-2021-27104

Accellion FTA OS Command Injection Vulnerability

Accellion FTA

Accellion FTA 9_12_370 and earlier is affected by OS command execution via a crafted POST request to various admin endpoints. The fixed version is FTA_9_12_380 and later.

CVSS
9.8
CRITICAL
EPSS
56.7%
30-day exploitation
Ransomware groups
1
recorded exploiting
Published
16 Feb 2021
CWE-78

Ransomware groups exploiting CVE-2021-27104

Clop 831 victims tracked

The ransomware group known as Cl0p is a variant of a previously known strain dubbed CryptoMix. It is worth noting that this variant was delivered as the final payload in a phishing campaign in 2019 and was exclusively financially motivated, with attacks carrie

Exploitation is attributed to these groups across their recorded activity. It does not follow that every organisation they listed was reached through CVE-2021-27104 — the source data does not record an entry point per incident.

Exploitation status

CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities

Listed by CISA on 3 November 2021. US federal agencies were required to remediate it by 17 November 2021. CISA records this vulnerability as known to be used in ransomware campaigns.

EPSS — exploitation probability

FIRST puts the probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days at 56.7%, which is higher than 99% of all scored vulnerabilities. EPSS is a forecast of activity, not a measure of severity, and it is rescored daily.

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Recent listings by these groups

Disclosures from the groups above, newest first.

Frequently asked questions

Is CVE-2021-27104 being exploited by ransomware groups?

Yes. CVE-2021-27104 is recorded as exploited by Clop. Between them these groups account for 831 victim disclosures in this database. CISA also records this vulnerability as used in ransomware campaigns.

What does CVE-2021-27104 affect?

CVE-2021-27104 affects Accellion FTA. Accellion FTA 9_12_370 and earlier is affected by OS command execution via a crafted POST request to various admin endpoints. The fixed version is FTA_9_12_380 and later.

How severe is CVE-2021-27104?

CVE-2021-27104 is rated CRITICAL with a CVSS base score of 9.8. EPSS puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 56.7%, higher than 99% of all scored vulnerabilities. It is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, with a federal remediation deadline of 17 November 2021.

How should organisations respond to CVE-2021-27104?

Apply the vendor patch for Accellion FTA as the first priority, and treat any internet-facing instance as the most urgent. Because this vulnerability is associated with ransomware activity, also review whether the affected systems were reachable before patching, rather than assuming that patching alone closes the incident.