Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2020-7311 is a local privilege escalation issue in McAfee Agent for Windows before 5.6.6. A low-privileged local user could gain SYSTEM rights during agent installation by manipulating log files. This is serious because SYSTEM access can allow full control of a Windows endpoint, but the attacker already needs local access.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority endpoint hardening issue where legacy McAfee Agent versions remain. It is not presented as remotely exploitable or actively exploited in the supplied sources, but SYSTEM-level escalation can materially increase damage after an attacker gains local access.
Technical view
The flaw is a CWE-269 privilege management issue in the McAfee Agent Windows installer. Affected versions are MA for Windows 5.6.x before 5.6.6. CVSS 3.1 is 7.8 with local attack vector, high complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, changed scope, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to Windows endpoints using McAfee Agent 5.6.x before 5.6.6, especially systems undergoing agent installation or upgrade. Environments that no longer run these versions are unlikely to be affected based on the supplied sources.
Exploitation context
The supplied sources do not indicate active exploitation, and the CVE is not listed as KEV. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access and a specific installation-time condition involving log-file manipulation, so this is more relevant for insider, post-compromise, or shared-host scenarios than remote entry.
Researcher notes
Evidence is concise: the vulnerability is tied to installer log-file manipulation and affects MA for Windows before 5.6.6. No exploit maturity, workaround detail, or broader product impact is provided in the bundle. Avoid extending impact beyond McAfee Agent for Windows 5.6.x without vendor confirmation.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory Windows systems running McAfee Agent 5.6.x.
- Upgrade affected McAfee Agent for Windows installations to 5.6.6 or later.
- Review McAfee advisory SB10325 for vendor-specific remediation details.
- Limit local user access on systems where agent installation or upgrade occurs.
- Prioritize endpoints with shared users, administrative tooling, or high business impact.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed McAfee Agent versions on Windows endpoints.
- Identify systems below version 5.6.6 as vulnerable.
- Check deployment records for recent or pending agent installation activity.
- Review local privilege and access controls on affected endpoints.
- Verify remediation against McAfee advisory SB10325.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-269: Authorization and privilege behavior lookup
Authorization weaknesses can support privilege escalation and valid-account review, depending on exploit path. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupPrivilege behavior lookup
The CVE wording references privilege impact, so privilege escalation and authorization behavior review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2020-7311 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H1.16Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://kc.mcafee.com/corporate/index?page=content&id=SB10325CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Privilege Management
Improper Privilege Management represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.