CVE-2021-44207: Acclaim Systems USAHERDS Use of Hard-Coded Credentials Vulnerability

Should you act?

Exploited: patch now if you run it

CISA has confirmed exploitation in the wild. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.

• Yes, if you run Acclaim Systems USAHERDS. CISA added this CVE to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2024-12-23, which means there is reliable evidence of exploitation in the wild. US federal agencies must remediate by 2025-01-13; treat that as the outer limit, not the target.
• EPSS 17.6%, percentile 97: FIRST’s model estimates a 17.6% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 97% of all scored CVEs (very high). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
• Remotely reachable with no login and no user interaction. If the vulnerable service is exposed to the internet, prioritize it.

What it is

Acclaim USAHERDS through 7.4.0.1 uses hard-coded credentials.

CISA’s summary

Acclaim Systems USAHERDS contains a hard-coded credentials vulnerability that could allow an attacker to achieve remote code execution on the system that runs the application. The MachineKey must be obtained via a separate vulnerability or other channel.

Weakness type: CWE-798.

Product: Acclaim Systems USAHERDS · Assigned by: mitre · Published: 2021-12-21

Affected and fixed versions

Severity scores

• Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
• Attack complexity: high (needs special conditions)
• Privileges required: none (no login)
• User interaction: none
• Scope: unchanged

CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.

Exploitation and urgency

• CISA KEV: added 2024-12-23; federal due date 2025-01-13. Known ransomware use: Unknown.
• CISA required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Please contact the product developer for support and vulnerability mitigation.
• CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact total.
• FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 17.58% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 97.

Timeline

• 2021-12-21 — CVE record published by mitre
• 2024-12-23 — Added to CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
• 2025-01-13 — CISA remediation deadline for US federal agencies
• 2025-10-21 — CVE record last updated

Sources and references

Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.

Vendor and project advisories, patches

1. Listed in CISA KEV notes (acclaimsystems.com) acclaimsystems.com
2. Listed in CISA KEV notes (tnatc.org) tnatc.org

Vulnerability records

1. CVE.org record CVE-2021-44207 cve.org
2. NVD entry CVE-2021-44207 nvd.nist.gov

Government

1. CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog entry cisa.gov

Other references from the CVE record and advisory

1. acclaimsystems.com acclaimsystems.com
2. github.com github.com

All exploited Acclaim Systems vulnerabilities · Today’s Security Digest