Microsoft Exchange Server Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (CVE-2021-26855)
Published Last modified In CISA KEV since Sources: SingCERT, CVE.org
- Actively exploited
- Source: ANSSI / CERT-FR, CSA/SingCERT How we classify
- Ransomware
- Public exploit
What is affected, what to do
Microsoft Exchange Server Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
The vulnerability is being actively exploited; treat it as a priority. CISA lists it as used in ransomware campaigns. Update Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 21 to version 15.00.1395.012, Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 22 to version 15.00.1473.006, Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 23 to version 15.00.1497.012. Immediate actions, mitigation and detection rules are in the runbook below.
- Affected
- Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 21
lt 15.00.0..15.00.1395.012 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 22
lt 15.00.0..15.00.1473.006 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 23
lt 15.00.0..15.00.1497.012 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 10
lt 15.01.0..15.01.1531.012 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 11
lt 15.01.0..15.01.1591.018 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 12
lt 15.01.0..15.01.1713.010 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 13
lt 15.01.0..15.01.1779.008 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 14
lt 15.01.0..15.01.1847.012 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 15
lt 15.01.0..15.01.1913.012 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 16
lt 15.01.0..15.01.1979.008 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 17
lt 15.01.0..15.01.2044.013 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 18
lt 15.01.0..15.01.2106.013 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 19
lt 15.01.0..15.01.2176.009 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 8
lt 15.01.0..15.01.1415.010 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 9
lt 15.01.0..15.01.1466.016 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2019
lt 15.02.0..15.02.0221.018 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 1
lt 15.02.0..15.01.1979.006 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 2
lt 15.02.0..15.02.0397.011 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 3
lt 15.02.0..15.02.0464.015 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 4
lt 15.02.0..15.02.0659.012 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 5
lt 15.02.0..15.02.0595.008 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 6
lt 15.02.0..15.02.0529.013 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 7
lt 15.02.0..15.02.0721.013 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 8
lt 15.02.0..15.02.0792.010
- Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 21
- Fixed in
- Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 21
15.00.1395.012 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 22
15.00.1473.006 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 23
15.00.1497.012 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 10
15.01.1531.012 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 11
15.01.1591.018 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 12
15.01.1713.010 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 13
15.01.1779.008 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 14
15.01.1847.012 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 15
15.01.1913.012 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 16
15.01.1979.008 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 17
15.01.2044.013 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 18
15.01.2106.013 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 19
15.01.2176.009 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 8
15.01.1415.010 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 9
15.01.1466.016 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2019
15.02.0221.018 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 1
15.01.1979.006 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 2
15.02.0397.011 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 3
15.02.0464.015 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 4
15.02.0659.012 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 5
15.02.0595.008 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 6
15.02.0529.013 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 7
15.02.0721.013 - Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 8
15.02.0792.010
- Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 21
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Metrics
9.1
Priority
XIEM Effective CVSS: highest available CVSS rating from NVD and vendor data.
Source: NVD, CVSS v3
9.1
CVSS v3
Severity Critical on the scale from 0 to 10.
Source: SingCERT, CVE.org
—
EPSS score
No value is available for this vulnerability.
Show all metrics
- Severity
- Critical
Priority (0–325)
The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?
Read in glossary- 250.48 Methodology
Exploit maturity
An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.
Read in glossary- actively exploitedSource: ANSSI / CERT-FR, CSA/SingCERT How we classify
XIEM Effective CVSS
XIEM® is the tiered managed-security operating model from NEOSEC and a registered trademark of NEOSEC GmbH. It extends classic SIEM — the central collection, normalisation and correlation of security-relevant events — with endpoint forensics, network visibility and deception technology, and consolidates them into three building tiers: Sentry, Orchestrate and Command.
Read in glossary- 9.1 Methodology
CVSS v3
CVSS is the globally established, open standard for assessing the technical severity of a vulnerability on a scale from 0 to 10. It describes how easily a flaw can be exploited and what damage it can cause — but not how likely its actual exploitation is. CVSS and the complementary EPSS deliberately answer different questions.
Read in glossary- 9.1
EPSS percentile
The EPSS percentile is the relative position of a vulnerability within all EPSS-scored CVEs, expressed as a value between 0 and 1. A percentile of 0.90 means „this CVE has a higher EPSS score than 90 % of all other scored CVEs“. Unlike the EPSS score, it is not a probability — but a positioning within a ranking.
Read in glossary- 99.99
- Critical — this CVE ranks in the top fifth of all CVEs scored today (rank ≥ 80%).
KEV status
The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.
Read in glossary- Actively exploited
- Published
In CISA KEV since
The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.
Read in glossary- CISA assessment (SSVC)
- Exploitation: active · automatable · Technical impact: total
- Source: CISA Vulnrichment, as of 1 March 2021
CWE
CWE is a catalogue of typical weakness types in software and hardware — such as flawed input validation, unsafe memory handling or poor authentication. Where a CVE names a concrete vulnerability in a concrete product, a CWE describes the underlying class of defect.
Read in glossary- CWE-918
Response and mitigation
Why act now?
Prioritisation rationale
CVE-2021-26855 is the entry point of the ProxyLogon chain: an unauthenticated, network-reachable server-side request forgery that, chained with CVE-2021-27065, yields SYSTEM-level code execution on Exchange. Since 2021 it has been mass-exploited by automated tooling to drop webshells, harvest mailboxes and stage ransomware, and CISA explicitly flags ransomware use. It sits among the CVEs with the very highest exploitation likelihood. Any still-exposed, unpatched on-prem Exchange server is a P1 and should be investigated as already breached. Only internal-only, fully patched servers can drop to a routine compromise-assessment check.
Runbook step 1
Immediate response (0-24 h)
- Scope the exposure: Identify every on-premises Exchange server (2013/2016/2019) reachable from the internet on TCP 443. Exchange Online is not affected. Treat any exposed, unpatched server as compromised, not merely vulnerable.
- Patch: Install Microsoft's ProxyLogon security updates (March 2021) on a supported Cumulative Update, or preferably move straight to the current CU plus the latest SU. The patch is available from the vendor; look up the exact version in the vendor advisory. Verify the result with the Microsoft Exchange Health Checker.
- Assess compromise before the server goes back online: Run
Test-ProxyLogon.ps1from Microsoft CSS-Exchange, then a full Microsoft Safety Scanner (MSERT) or EDR scan. Patching does not remove webshells that are already in place. - Stopgap if you cannot patch now: Run the Exchange On-premises Mitigation Tool (EOMT). It deploys the IIS URL Rewrite rule that blocks the SSRF and launches an MSERT scan. Alternatively, pull the server off the internet and allow OWA/ECP over VPN only.
- If you find indicators: Network-isolate the host and preserve memory plus the IIS and HttpProxy logs. Reset every credential used on the box, including admin accounts and service accounts. Check whether the Exchange groups hold DCSync rights on the domain.
- Check reporting obligations: For a confirmed compromise, the NIS2 early-warning deadline applies (within 24 h).
Runbook step 2
Mitigation layers
- Network segmentation: Publish OWA, ECP, EWS and Autodiscover only through a reverse proxy or VPN, and never expose
/ecpto the internet. Restrict egress from the Exchange servers to an allowlist so that webshell callbacks and exfiltration are harder. - WAF/IPS: Block requests carrying an
X-AnonResource-BackendorX-BEResourcecookie whose value ends in/ecp/or in~followed by digits. This mirrors Microsoft's URL Rewrite logic. Enable the ProxyLogon signatures for CVE-2021-26855 in your Suricata/ET or Snort rule sets and run them in blocking mode. - Endpoint hardening: Use ASR rules or application control on the Exchange host to deny child processes of
w3wp.exeandUMWorkerProcess.exe. Keep Microsoft's recommended Exchange AV exclusions, but never excludeaspnet_clientorFrontEnd\HttpProxy. - IAM/least privilege: Review and reduce the domain-object rights of "Exchange Windows Permissions" and "Exchange Trusted Subsystem" (split permissions model). Allow admin logons to Exchange from PAWs only.
- Configuration: Disable Unified Messaging services you don't use (this covers chained CVE-2021-26857). Audit and reset tampered OAB virtual directory
ExternalUrlvalues (chained CVE-2021-27065).
- Network segmentation: Publish OWA, ECP, EWS and Autodiscover only through a reverse proxy or VPN, and never expose
Runbook step 3
Detection rules
- HttpProxy logs (SSRF indicator): Search
%ExchangeInstallPath%Logging\HttpProxy\*for entries with an emptyAuthenticatedUserand anAnchorMailboxlikeServerInfo~*/*. PowerShell:Import-Csv (gci -Recurse "$env:ExchangeInstallPath\Logging\HttpProxy" -Filter *.log).FullName | ? { $_.AuthenticatedUser -eq '' -and $_.AnchorMailbox -like 'ServerInfo~*/*' } - IIS access logs: Look for POSTs to
/ecp/*.js,/ecp/y.jsor/owa/auth/*.aspx, and for unknown.aspxfiles under/aspnet_client/. Cookie fields containingX-BEResource=are also suspicious. SPL:index=iis cs_method=POST (cs_uri_stem="/ecp/*.js" OR cs_uri_stem="/aspnet_client/*.aspx") - Process ancestry (Sysmon EID 1 / EDR): Alert when
w3wp.exe(MSExchange* app pools) orUMWorkerProcess.exespawnscmd.exe,powershell.exe,rundll32.exeorprocdump. KQL:DeviceProcessEvents | where InitiatingProcessFileName in~ ("w3wp.exe","UMWorkerProcess.exe") and FileName in~ ("cmd.exe","powershell.exe","rundll32.exe") - File telemetry (Sysmon EID 11): Flag new
.aspxfiles ininetpub\wwwroot\aspnet_client\,FrontEnd\HttpProxy\owa\auth\orecp\auth\. Watch for.zip/.7zarchives inC:\ProgramData\, which indicate mailbox staging. Watch for LSASS access, such ascomsvcs.dll MiniDumpor Sysmon EID 10 targetinglsass.exe. - Exchange management log: In the "MSExchange Management" log, look for Event ID 1 recording
Set-OabVirtualDirectorywith script content inExternalUrl(<script). Also look forNew-MailboxExportRequestissued by unexpected accounts.
- HttpProxy logs (SSRF indicator): Search
Detection rules
No NEOSEC detection rule is available for this vulnerability yet.
Classification under NIS2 and CRA
Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.
NIS2
NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.
Read in glossary- Actively exploited: treat the vulnerability as a priority in vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2. If it is exploited in your environment, check the reporting obligation under Art. 23 (early warning within 24 hours).
CRA
The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.
Read in glossary- Since 11.09.2026, manufacturers of affected products with digital elements must report actively exploited vulnerabilities under Art. 14 CRA, with an early warning within 24 hours via ENISA's single reporting platform.
ISO/IEC 27001
ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.
Read in glossary- Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.
Description
Microsoft Exchange Server Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
Source: CSA/SingCERT, cvelistv5, CISA KEV Catalog, NVD (NIST), CVE.org (MITRE)
Affected products
The following versions are affected. Older releases of the same product line are also vulnerable unless stated otherwise.
| Affected versions | Fixed in | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 21 |
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| Microsoft | Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 22 |
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| Microsoft | Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 23 |
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| Microsoft | Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 10 |
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| Microsoft | Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 11 |
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| Microsoft | Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 12 |
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| Microsoft | Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 13 |
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| Microsoft | Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 14 |
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| Microsoft | Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 15 |
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| Microsoft | Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 16 |
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| Microsoft | Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 17 |
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| Microsoft | Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 18 |
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| Microsoft | Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 19 |
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| Microsoft | Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 8 |
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| Microsoft | Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 9 |
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| Microsoft | Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 |
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| Microsoft | Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 1 |
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| Microsoft | Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 2 |
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| Microsoft | Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 3 |
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| Microsoft | Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 4 |
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| Microsoft | Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 5 |
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| Microsoft | Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 6 |
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| Microsoft | Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 7 |
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| Microsoft | Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 8 |
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| microsoft | exchange_server |
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Vendors and products
- Microsoft Microsoft Exchange Server
- Microsoft Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 21
- Microsoft Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 22
- Microsoft Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 23
- Microsoft Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 10
- Microsoft Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 11
- Microsoft Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 12
- Microsoft Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 13
- Microsoft Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 14
- Microsoft Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 15
- Microsoft Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 16
- Microsoft Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 17
Weakness classes (CWE)
CWE-918Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)
Base
The web server receives a URL or similar request from an upstream component and retrieves the contents of this URL, but it does not sufficiently ensure that the request is being sent to the expected destination.
Entry at MITRE CWE-918
Public exploit references
Publicly reported proof-of-concepts, exploit modules and detection templates for this vulnerability. NEOSEC links to the original sources only and does not provide any exploit code.
References & sources
- portal.msrc.microsoft.comen-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-26855x_refsource_MISC, x_transferred
- packetstormsecurity.comfiles/161846/Microsoft-Exchange-2019-SSRF-Arbitrary-File-Write.…x_refsource_MISC, x_transferred
- packetstormsecurity.comfiles/161938/Microsoft-Exchange-ProxyLogon-Remote-Code-Executio…x_refsource_MISC, x_transferred
- packetstormsecurity.comfiles/162610/Microsoft-Exchange-2019-Unauthenticated-Email-Down…x_refsource_MISC, x_transferred
- packetstormsecurity.comfiles/162736/Microsoft-Exchange-ProxyLogon-Collector.htmlx_refsource_MISC, x_transferred
- cisa.govknown-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2021-26855government-resource
- Microsoft Security Update GuideMicrosoft Exchange Server Remote Code Execution VulnerabilityVendor advisory, Patch
- cert.cyber.gouv.frANSSI / CERT-FR: CERTFR-2021-ALE-004 – [MàJ] Multiples vulnérabilités dans Microsoft Exchange Server (clôturée 2021-07-16)cert-fr
Changes to this CVE
Who changed this CVE and when: NVD (analysis, affected products, CVSS), the CVE publisher (CNA) and additional providers such as CISA (ADP).
Record modifiedMicrosoft
Show 12 original changes
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Reference added —https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-26855Reference removed http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/161846/Microsoft-Exchange-2019-SSRF-Arbitrary-File-Write.html—Reference removed http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/161938/Microsoft-Exchange-ProxyLogon-Remote-Code-Execution.html—Reference removed http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/162610/Microsoft-Exchange-2019-Unauthenticated-Email-Download.html—Reference removed http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/162736/Microsoft-Exchange-ProxyLogon-Collector.html—Reference removed https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-26855—Reference type removed http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/161846/Microsoft-Exchange-2019-SSRF-Arbitrary-File-Write.html Types: Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry—Reference type removed http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/161938/Microsoft-Exchange-ProxyLogon-Remote-Code-Execution.html Types: Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry—Reference type removed http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/162610/Microsoft-Exchange-2019-Unauthenticated-Email-Download.html Types: Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry—Reference type removed http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/162736/Microsoft-Exchange-ProxyLogon-Collector.html Types: Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry—Reference type removed https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-26855 Types: Patch, Vendor Advisory—Affected versions (publisher) changed Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 19, Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 8, Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 (+21)Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 21, Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 22, Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 23 (+21)Source identifier: secure@microsoft.com
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<a href="https://intel.neosec.eu/en/cve/CVE-2021-26855"><img src="https://intel.neosec.eu/badge/cve/CVE-2021-26855.svg?lang=en" alt="CVE-2021-26855 – NEOSEC Intel" height="20"></a>