Threats / Microsoft / CVE-2021-31207
CVE-2021-31207
· EUVD no mirror located
· GCVE no mirror located
Verified 2026-08-04
Microsoft Exchange Server vulnerability
Microsoft Exchange Server vulnerability allowing security feature bypass through improper input validation and file upload handling. Actively exploited in ransomware campaigns.
Verdict
Today item, not a backlog item.
Critical remote vulnerability in Exchange Server enabling attackers to bypass security controls and gain unauthorized access. High exploitation prevalence with confirmed ransomware deployment in active campaigns.
CISA KEV Yes · 2021-11-035Ransomware use Flagged5EPSS 0.99782 (verify live)6Exploit Weaponized · public PoC7CVSS 6.63CISA SSVC Exploitation: active · Automatable: no · Impact: total4
01
Is it exploitable?
— the evidence, ranked above the scoreExploit available
Fully weaponized — public exploit code is cataloged for this vulnerability.We link the existence of the exploit; we do not host or redistribute payloads.
Reported exploitation
99 independent public reports of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2021-11-03), flagged for known ransomware use.
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.99782 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
CVSS 6.6 (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C) · Affected: Microsoft, Exchange Server. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.CVSS — CNA-assigned (CVE.org), version 3.1, set at disclosure.
Weakness (CWE)
Mapped to CWE-20 Improper Input Validation, CWE-434 Unrestricted File Upload — weakness family: Path traversal / file.CWE assignment from the public NVD record (may be stale); the weakness class drives how the flaw is exploited.
CISA SSVC (triage disposition)
Exploitation: active · Automatable: no · Technical Impact: totalCISA's own stakeholder-specific triage inputs, published in the CVE record (CISA Coordinator role). NOTE: this is CISA's three decision points; the final Act/Attend/Track decision also requires a Mission & Well-being input not published here, so no overall decision is asserted.
Currency of the record
CISA added this to its KEV catalog 176 days after the CVE record was published.KEV lag = CISA-KEV dateAdded − CVE.org datePublished; a floor on how long the known-exploited flaw sat in the public record before the federal catalog listed it. Severity/weakness here is CNA- or CISA-assigned (current at disclosure), independent of NVD's analysis backlog.
Public exploit available
Public exploit tooling is catalogued for this CVE (a functional/weaponized public exploit). Catalog entries: Metasploit module. We link the catalog page(s) only — no payload or code is hosted or restated here.Link, never host — the catalog page is the source; basicsecurity.net does not redistribute payloads.
02
Who’s exploiting it?
— attribution turns risk into urgencyAPT40 State-sponsored (PRC)
The CISA-led joint advisory AA24-190A names APT40 (tracked in ATT&CK as Leviathan) as a PRC Ministry of State Security group that rapidly weaponizes newly public vulnerabilities, naming the ProxyShell Exchange chain, Log4Shell, and Atlassian Confluence CVEs alongside the group.16
03
Why it matters
— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board1
Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1
Attacker
Craft malicious input or upload files that bypass server-side validation checks
Business
Security controls designed to protect email infrastructure are rendered ineffective
2
Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2
Attacker
Exploit the bypass to execute unauthorized actions on the Exchange Server
Business
Attackers gain foothold within email systems and corporate network perimeter
3
Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3
Attacker
Deploy ransomware payloads or establish persistent access mechanisms
Business
Email services disrupted, data encrypted or exfiltrated, operational continuity compromised
04
What to do
— defensible action- Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
05