Agent
CVE-2021-31847
HIGH
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2025 - Insecure Design
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Least privilege enforcement
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Privilege Escalation The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Impact | CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). Attack characteristics: local attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, user interaction required. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A local attacker with access to the system could escalate privileges to gain unauthorized elevated access. No authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability. |
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Alert meAnalysisAI
Improper access control vulnerability in the repair process for McAfee Agent for Windows prior to 5.7.4 could allow a local attacker to perform a DLL preloading attack using unsigned DLLs. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
RemediationAI
No vendor patch is available at time of analysis. Monitor vendor advisories for updates. Apply principle of least privilege, validate privilege transitions, implement proper role separation.
Affects your stack
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Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
This vulnerability is classified as Improper Privilege Management (CWE-269), which allows attackers to escalate privileges to gain unauthorized elevated access. Improper access control vulnerability in the repair process for McAfee Agent for Windows prior to 5.7.4 could allow a local attacker to perform a DLL preloading attack using unsigned DLLs. This would result in elevation of privileges and the ability to execute arbitrary code as the system user, through not correctly protecting a temporary directory used in the repair process and not checking the DLL signature. Affected products include: Mcafee Agent. Version information: prior to 5.7.4.
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- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.
CVSS VectorNVD
DescriptionNVD
Improper access control vulnerability in the repair process for McAfee Agent for Windows prior to 5.7.4 could allow a local attacker to perform a DLL preloading attack using unsigned DLLs. This would result in elevation of privileges and the ability to execute arbitrary code as the system user, through not correctly protecting a temporary directory used in the repair process and not checking the DLL signature.
Threat Intelligence Overview
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.
Remote Code Execution represents the critical moment when an attacker successfully runs arbitrary code on a target system without physical access.
Affected Products (CPE)NVD
Use After Free in Remote logging (which is disabled by default) in McAfee McAfee Agent (MA) 5.x prior to 5.6.0 allows re
Insecure storage of sensitive information vulnerability in MA for Linux, macOS, and Windows prior to 5.7.6 allows a loca
The McAfee VirusScan Console (mcconsol.exe) in McAfee Active Response (MAR) before 1.1.0.161, Agent (MA) 5.x before 5.0.
A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco DNA Center Software could allow an unauthenticated, remot
Local privilege escalation in WatchGuard Agent for Windows allows authenticated users to execute arbitrary code with ele
Hard-coded cryptographic key in WatchGuard Agent for Windows enables local authenticated attackers to inject malicious c
A heap-based overflow vulnerability in TA prior to version 5.7.9 allows a remote user to alter the page heap in the macm
Local privilege escalation due to insecure driver communication port permissions. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this v
Local privilege escalation vulnerability in Action1 where an attacker with low-privileged code execution can exploit an
Acronis Cyber Protect and Cloud Agent on macOS before specific builds contain an insecure Unix socket permissions vulner
Unquoted Search Path or Element vulnerability in Grafana Agent (Flow mode) on Windows allows Privilege Escalation from L
Local privilege escalation due to improper soft link handling. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low
GitHub PoC
Exploit-DB