CVE-2021-44515: Zoho Desktop Central Authentication Bypass Vulnerability
- Is it exploited?
Yes. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 10 Dec 2021, 2 days before the CVE record was published.
- How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?
- 99.9%
EPSS score, percentile 100 of all scored records
- How severe?
- 9.8 Critical
CVSS v3.1 base score, from CISA's enrichment of the record
- What should I do?
CISA deadline 24 Dec 2021. Apply updates per vendor instructions.
The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.
- Which versions are affected?
Not stated. The CVE record gives vendor and product as “n/a” and the version as “unspecified”.
Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
What to do
Required action, set by CISA
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
CISA due date for this action: 24 December 2021.
Advisories and patches
The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.
Linked from CISA's catalog entry
Affected products and versions
The CVE record does not name affected products or versions: vendor and product are “n/a” and the version is “unspecified”.
Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
About this vulnerability
Zoho Desktop Central contains an authentication bypass vulnerability that could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the Desktop Central MSP server.
Summary: CISA's KEV catalog, as of 28 Oct 2026.
- CISA added CVE-2021-44515 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 10 Dec 2021.
- CISA's ransomware flag for this entry is "Unknown": no evidence of ransomware use in the catalog, which is not proof of none.
- The due date CISA sets for the required action is 24 Dec 2021.
- The CVE record was published on 12 Dec 2021, 2 days after it was added to KEV.
- The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (Critical), taken from CISA's enrichment of the record.
- FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 99.9% (percentile 100), as of 28 Oct 2026.
- CISA's SSVC assessment in the CVE record: exploitation active, automatable yes, technical impact total.
Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
Description
Zoho ManageEngine Desktop Central is vulnerable to authentication bypass, leading to remote code execution on the server, as exploited in the wild in December 2021. For Enterprise builds 10.1.2127.17 and earlier, upgrade to 10.1.2127.18. For Enterprise builds 10.1.2128.0 through 10.1.2137.2, upgrade to 10.1.2137.3. For MSP builds 10.1.2127.17 and earlier, upgrade to 10.1.2127.18. For MSP builds 10.1.2128.0 through 10.1.2137.2, upgrade to 10.1.2137.3.
Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 10 Dec 2021 | Added to CISA KEV |
| 12 Dec 2021 | CVE record published |
| 24 Dec 2021 | CISA due date for the required action |
| 21 Oct 2025 | CVE record last updated |
References
More exploited Zoho vulnerabilities
- CVE-2022-28810: Zoho ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
- CVE-2022-47966: Zoho ManageEngine Multiple Products Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
- CVE-2022-35405: Zoho ManageEngine Multiple Products Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
- CVE-2021-37415: Zoho ManageEngine ServiceDesk Authentication Bypass Vulnerability
- CVE-2021-44077: Zoho ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
- CVE-2019-8394: Zoho ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (SDP) File Upload Vulnerability