What is CVE-2021-31836?A high-severity flaw in Mcafee Agent, explained.
CVE-2021-31836 is a high-severity flaw (CVSS 7.1) in Mcafee Agent, published on 22 September 2021. It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts its chance of use in the next 30 days at 0.2%. If you run an affected version, plan in the vendor’s fix.
Published 22 September 2021. Record last updated 15 November 2023. We keep this page's data up to date.
What is CVE-2021-31836? In plain terms.
An attacker has to be already on the device with an ordinary user account, and nobody has to click anything. If it works, the attacker can read data and change data.
Improper privilege management vulnerability in maconfig for McAfee Agent for Windows prior to 5.7.4 allows a local user to gain access to sensitive information. The utility was able to be run from any location on the file system and by a low privileged user.
What kind of flaw is it?
- CWE-269Improper Privilege Management
How an attack on it works
Read straight from its severity rating, translated out of the shorthand.
- Where an attacker can beAlready on the device
- How hard it is to pull offEasy: no special conditions
- Login needed firstAn ordinary user account
- Does someone have to clickNo, nobody has to do anything
- What an attacker getsCan read data and change data
Severity vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Is CVE-2021-31836 being exploited? Not that we know of.
It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts the chance of it being used in the next 30 days at 0.2%. That can change at any time, which is why we keep watching.
Timeline
- Published
- Record last updated
CVE-2021-31836 scores 46. Action: Plan remediation.
We keep the score of every published flaw up to date as the evidence changes. Four things go into the score, and evidence that criminals are actually using it counts most. In order:
- Evidence it is being exploitedBiggest factor
- How severe it isStrong factor
- How widely exposed it isSmaller factor
- Threat activity around itSmaller factor
85 and above is Critical. Anything confirmed as exploited is always marked for an emergency patch, whatever its score.
When CVE-2021-31836 matches software you track, it lands in your list with its score and the reasons behind it.
See your own ranked list →Who is affected by CVE-2021-31836? One product.
The published record lists 1 product from 1 vendor. Versions are shown as published: "before 5.7.4" means every version up to, but not including, 5.7.4. If you run one of these, check your version, then go to the fix below.
- Application
Mcafee Agent
by Mcafee
Affected versionsbefore 5.7.4
How do I fix CVE-2021-31836? Four steps.
- Check whether you run itCompare your versions with the affected products above. Not sure what you run? Precursor Intelligence can work it out from your public website, or you can pick it from a list.
- Apply the vendor’s fixInstall the latest update from the vendor. The references list where the vendor has published details.
- If you can’t patch todayFollow any mitigation the vendor publishes, and limit who can reach the affected system from the internet until the update is in.
- Keep an eye on itTrack the product and we tell you as soon as we spot this flaw on the list of exploited flaws, or a jump in its exploit likelihood.
References
1 linkDoes CVE-2021-31836 affect you? We'll keep checking.
Looking flaws up one at a time doesn't scale. Tell us what you run once, and we tell you which flaws matter to you, in what order, and keep watching for new ones.
- Tell us what you runPick your software from a list, or let us work it out from your website.
- We match it to every flawOver 400,000 published flaws, checked against your list.
- Ranked by real-world riskA 0 to 100 score, led by evidence criminals are using it.
- Told as soon as we knowAn alert by email, in the app or by webhook to your own tools.
Free plan, no card needed. Nothing to install.
1 new flaw affects software Acme tracks
Improper privilege management vulnerability in maconfig for McAfee Agent for Windows prior to 5.7.4 allows a local user to gain access to sensitive informati...
- Matched to
- Mcafee Agent on Acme's software list
- What to do
- Plan in the vendor’s update
Sent to the alert recipients Acme chose. Also in the app and to Acme's webhook.
CVE-2021-31836 is a high-severity flaw in Mcafee Agent, published on 22 September 2021. An attacker has to be already on the device with an ordinary user account, and nobody has to click anything. If it works, the attacker can read data and change data.
It scores 7.1 out of 10 on the CVSS severity scale, which is high. Our risk score for CVE-2021-31836 is 46 out of 100, which is Medium. Its action is "Plan remediation". No sign of exploitation and a low forecast. Patch it in your normal update cycle.
It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts the chance of it being used in the next 30 days at 0.2%. That can change at any time, which is why we keep watching.
For Mcafee Agent: before 5.7.4.
Install the update the vendor names in its advisory. If you can't patch today, follow the vendor's mitigation and limit who can reach the affected system from the internet.