How severe is CVE-2021-22681?

CVE-2021-22681 has a CVSS score of 9.8/10, rated CRITICAL. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which products are affected by CVE-2021-22681?

Affected package information for CVE-2021-22681 is not yet fully mapped. Check the official advisory links for details.

How do I patch CVE-2021-22681?

No patch has shipped for CVE-2021-22681 yet — track the rockwellautomation factorytalk services platform advisory for a fixed release and apply the workarounds below in the meantime.

How do I detect CVE-2021-22681 across my infrastructure?

Inventory every rockwellautomation factorytalk services platform deployment and check each version against the affected-products list above. Because the exploit targets the running system rather than your application code, also watch for exploitation at the network and runtime layer — O3 flags the exploit behaviour from runtime telemetry and egress traffic even before a vulnerable build is confirmed.

How do I mitigate CVE-2021-22681 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Cut exposure now: restrict the management/admin interface to trusted networks, segment the device, and apply the vendor's recommended configuration mitigations and any WAF/IPS signature. O3's runtime protection blocks the exploit chain at execution, holding the line on unpatched or end-of-life systems until you can patch.

How does O3 Security protect against CVE-2021-22681?

O3 detects and blocks CVE-2021-22681 exploitation at runtime: eBPF exploit-chain detection, plus L7 egress monitoring that catches the post-exploitation callback and severs the attacker's outbound channel.

Is CVE-2021-22681 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2021-22681 yet. This does not mean the vulnerability cannot be exploited — absence of public exploits does not imply safety. Apply the recommended fix and use O3 Security to monitor your exposure.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2021-22681?

CVE-2021-22681 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 50.7%, placing it in the 99th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A score above 50% indicates significantly elevated exploitation risk — immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Is CVE-2021-22681 in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog?

Yes. CVE-2021-22681 (Rockwell Multiple Products Insufficient Protected Credentials Vulnerability) was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2026-03-05. CISA required all US federal civilian agencies to remediate this vulnerability by 2026-03-26. The required action was: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Being listed in the KEV catalog is the strongest possible confirmation of active exploitation — treat this as a critical priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2021-22681?

CVE-2021-22681 is classified as CWE-522 (CWE-522). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

Which products and versions are affected by CVE-2021-22681?

CVE-2021-22681 affects rockwellautomation factorytalk services platform; rockwellautomation rslogix 5000; rockwellautomation studio 5000 logix designer. Check the affected-products list on this page against your deployed version to confirm exposure.

When was CVE-2021-22681 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2021-22681 was published on March 3, 2021 and was last updated on June 17, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

CVE-2021-22681: Factorytalk Services Platform CWE-522 (Critical…

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

50.7%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

High Risk99th percentile+25.26%

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.

Description

Rockwell Automation Studio 5000 Logix Designer Versions 21 and later, and RSLogix 5000 Versions 16 through 20 use a key to verify Logix controllers are communicating with Rockwell Automation CompactLogix 1768, 1769, 5370, 5380, 5480: ControlLogix 5550, 5560, 5570, 5580; DriveLogix 5560, 5730, 1794-L34; Compact GuardLogix 5370, 5380; GuardLogix 5570, 5580; SoftLogix 5800. Rockwell Automation Studio 5000 Logix Designer Versions 21 and later and RSLogix 5000: Versions 16 through 20 are vulnerable because an unauthenticated attacker could bypass this verification mechanism and authenticate with Rockwell Automation CompactLogix 1768, 1769, 5370, 5380, 5480: ControlLogix 5550, 5560, 5570, 5580; DriveLogix 5560, 5730, 1794-L34; Compact GuardLogix 5370, 5380; GuardLogix 5570, 5580; SoftLogix 5800.

Affected Products

3 products · 3 configurations

Application

factorytalk services platformrockwellautomation

≥ 2.10

range

Application

rslogix 5000rockwellautomation

≥ 16 && ≤ 20

range

Application

studio 5000 logix designerrockwellautomation

≥ 21.0

range

Detection & mitigation playbook

Vendor / appliance

Detect
Inventory every rockwellautomation factorytalk services platform deployment and check each version against the affected-products list above. Because the exploit targets the running system rather than your application code, also watch for exploitation at the network and runtime layer — O3 flags the exploit behaviour from runtime telemetry and egress traffic even before a vulnerable build is confirmed.
Remediation status
No patch has shipped for CVE-2021-22681 yet — track the rockwellautomation factorytalk services platform advisory for a fixed release and apply the workarounds below in the meantime.
Mitigate without a patch
Cut exposure now: restrict the management/admin interface to trusted networks, segment the device, and apply the vendor's recommended configuration mitigations and any WAF/IPS signature. O3's runtime protection blocks the exploit chain at execution, holding the line on unpatched or end-of-life systems until you can patch.
How O3 protects you
O3 detects and blocks CVE-2021-22681 exploitation at runtime: eBPF exploit-chain detection, plus L7 egress monitoring that catches the post-exploitation callback and severs the attacker's outbound channel.

Tailored to CVE-2021-22681. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Rockwell Automation Studio 5000 Logix Designer Versions 21 and later, and RSLogix 5000 Versions 16 through 20 use a key to verify Logix controllers are communicating with Rockwell Automation CompactLogix 1768, 1769, 5370, 5380, 5480: ControlLogix 5550, 5560, 5570, 5580; DriveLogix 5560, 5730, 1794-L34; Compact GuardLogix 5370, 5380; GuardLogix 5570, 5580; SoftLogix 5800. Rockwell Automation Studio 5000 Logix Designer Versions 21 and later and RSLogix 5000: Versions 16 through 20 are vulnerable because an unauthenticated attacker could bypass this verification mechanism and authenticate with Ro

O3 Security · Runtime Protection

Is CVE-2021-22681 being exploited in your environment?

O3's eBPF runtime sensors and L7 egress monitoring detect and block the CVE-2021-22681 exploit chain at execution — protecting unpatched and end-of-life systems until the vendor patch is applied.

Protect my workloads How runtime protection works

CVE-2021-22681

EPSS Exploitation Probability

Description

Affected Products

Detection & mitigation playbook

Detect

Remediation status

Mitigate without a patch

How O3 protects you

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CVE-2021-22681 being exploited in your environment?