Overview
CVE-2021-22681 has been added to the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Published on March 03, 2021. Threat actors are actively exploiting this vulnerability in real-world attacks.
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.
Threat Intelligence
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| CVE ID | CVE-2021-22681 |
| Severity | HIGH |
| CVSS Score | 0.0/10 |
| CISA KEV | ✅ Yes — Actively Exploited |
| KEV Date Added | March 05, 2026 |
| Remediation Deadline | March 26, 2026 |
| EPSS Score | 25.5% exploit probability |
| EPSS Percentile | Top 99% of all CVEs |
Why This Matters
This vulnerability has been added to the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, which means threat actors are actively exploiting it in real-world attacks.
Federal agencies are required to remediate by March 26, 2026. All organizations should treat this deadline as a strong recommendation.
Recommended Actions
- Verify exposure — Determine if your environment uses the affected software.
- Apply patches — Update to the latest version as soon as a fix is available.
- Monitor for compromise — Check logs for unusual activity.
- Meet the deadline — CISA recommends remediation by March 26, 2026.
References
CVE data aggregated from the National Vulnerability Database (NVD), CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and FIRST EPSS. Analysis updated as new intelligence becomes available. Last updated: 2026-03-06.