CVE-2026-21633
Published: 05 January 2026
Summary
CVE-2026-21633 is a high-severity Improper Authentication (CWE-287) vulnerability in Ui Unifi Protect. Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation of Remote Services (T1210); ranked at the 31.8th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 SI-2 (Flaw Remediation) and RA-5 (Vulnerability Monitoring and Scanning).
Deeper analysis
CVE-2026-21633 is a discovery protocol vulnerability (CWE-287: Improper Authentication) in the UniFi Protect Application, affecting versions 6.1.79 and earlier. This flaw enables unauthorized access to UniFi Protect Cameras when exploited.
A malicious actor with access to the adjacent network can exploit the vulnerability with low attack complexity, requiring no privileges or user interaction (CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, score 8.8). Successful exploitation allows the attacker to obtain unauthorized access to the camera, compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
The UniFi security advisory recommends updating the UniFi Protect Application to version 6.2.72 or later as the primary mitigation. Additional details are available at https://community.ui.com/releases/Security-Advisory-Bulletin-058-058/6922ff20-8cd7-4724-8d8c-676458a2d0f9.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-0828
Vulnerability details
A malicious actor with access to the adjacent network could obtain unauthorized access to a UniFi Protect Camera by exploiting a discovery protocol vulnerability in the Unifi Protect Application (Version 6.1.79 and earlier). Affected Products: UniFi Protect Application (Version 6.1.79…
more
and earlier). Mitigation: Update your UniFi Protect Application to Version 6.2.72 or later.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Improper authentication in discovery protocol directly enables remote exploitation for unauthorized access to cameras/services on adjacent network.
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Directly mandates timely identification, reporting, and correction of the improper authentication flaw in the UniFi Protect Application discovery protocol via vendor patching to version 6.2.72 or later.
Prevents exploitation from adjacent networks by monitoring and controlling communications at external and key internal boundaries, enabling segmentation to isolate the vulnerable UniFi Protect Application.
Facilitates proactive discovery of the CVE-2026-21633 vulnerability through ongoing monitoring and scanning of the UniFi Protect Application for known flaws like CWE-287 improper authentication.