CVE-2021-32086: An issue was discovered in Quest KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SMA) 11.0.273

This month

CRITICAL 9.8REMOTEDOWNGRADE

CVE-2021-32086 is a critical-severity flaw (CVSS 9.8) affecting kace systems management appliance. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

An issue was discovered in Quest KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SMA) 11.0.273. It uses a hardcoded symmetric encryption key to encrypt secrets in the MySQL databases. (This key is not unique for each installation.) An attacker that gains access to the MySQL server or a backup files can decrypt the secrets. Often, the decrypted secrets can be used to escalate privileges within KACE, or gain privileged access to unrelated systems or services.

Why this priority

Critical severity
Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.

Risk facts

CVSS score	9.8 (Critical)
Attack vector	Network (remote)
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	None
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	0.3% (top 74%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-321
Published	2026-07-27
Last modified	2026-08-03

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: quest

Last updated 2026-08-03 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2026-07-27 22:16 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-08-03 14:30 UTCUpdated Record last modified

quest kace systems management appliance DOWNGRADE

Affected: 11.0.273

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 11.0.273

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy kace-systems-management-appliance || rpm -q kace-systems-management-appliance || kace-systems-management-appliance --version

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 11.0.273 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison kace-systems-management-appliance sudo apt install kace-systems-management-appliance=<VERSION_BEFORE_11.0.273> sudo apt-mark hold kace-systems-management-appliance

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

dnf --showduplicates list kace-systems-management-appliance sudo dnf downgrade kace-systems-management-appliance-<VERSION_BEFORE_11.0.273> sudo dnf versionlock add kace-systems-management-appliance

Downgrade risk

Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.

After downgrade

Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2021-32086?

kace systems management appliance: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2021-32086 being exploited?

CVE-2021-32086 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2021-32086 affect?

CVE-2021-32086 affects kace systems management appliance. Severity is critical (CVSS 9.8). An issue was discovered in Quest KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SMA) 11.0.273. It uses a hardcoded symmetric encryption key to encrypt secrets in the MySQL databases. (This key is not unique for each installation.) An attacker that gain

How urgent is CVE-2021-32086?

Priority 46/100. Critical severity; Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

Software pages

MySQL vulnerabilities

Related CVEs

CVE-2021-32087 HIGH 8.8 DOWNGRADE An issue was discovered in Quest KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SMA) 11.0.273
CVE-2021-32084 CRITICAL 9.8 DOWNGRADE An issue was discovered in Quest KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SMA) 11.0.273
CVE-2021-32085 HIGH 8.8 DOWNGRADE An issue was discovered in Quest KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SMA) 11.0.273
CVE-2021-32088 CRITICAL 9.8 DOWNGRADE An issue was discovered in Quest KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SMA) 11.0.273

References

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