Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-31727 is a local privilege escalation risk in MalwareFox AntiMalware 2.74.0.150. Its kernel drivers expose disk read/write controls to non-privileged processes, allowing a local attacker to tamper with sensitive disk areas and potentially gain elevated control.
Executive priority
Treat as high priority where the affected product is deployed. It is not remotely exploitable from the provided evidence, but local abuse could turn ordinary user access into deeper system compromise.
Technical view
The reported issue is incorrect access control in zam64.sys and zam32.sys. A non-privileged process can access the ZemanaAntiMalware device, register with the driver, and use exposed IOCTLs for unrestricted disk read/write. The source cites possible privilege escalation through boot-sector or pagefile modification.
Likely exposure
Exposure appears limited to systems running MalwareFox AntiMalware 2.74.0.150 with the affected zam64.sys or zam32.sys driver installed. The source bundle does not identify other affected versions or products.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not show KEV listing or active exploitation evidence. Exploitation requires local process access, but the impact is serious because the vulnerable driver runs with kernel-level capability.
Researcher notes
Evidence is narrow: the CVE description and referenced write-up identify specific IOCTL access-control failures, but the bundle provides no CVSS, CWE, vendor advisory, patch version, or confirmed exploitation status.
Mitigation direction
- Identify hosts running MalwareFox AntiMalware 2.74.0.150.
- Check vendor guidance for a fixed version or removal instructions.
- Remove or disable affected drivers only through approved vendor or endpoint procedures.
- Restrict local user execution paths on exposed endpoints.
- Monitor for suspicious access to the ZemanaAntiMalware device interface.
Validation and detection
- Inventory endpoints for MalwareFox AntiMalware 2.74.0.150.
- Check for installed zam64.sys or zam32.sys drivers.
- Review endpoint telemetry for unexpected local driver device access.
- Confirm whether vendor guidance documents a patched replacement.
- Verify removals or upgrades clear the affected driver from systems.
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.
CVE-2021-31727 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
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
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 and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/irql0/CVE-2021-31728/blob/master/CVE-2021-31727.mdCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
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.