Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-31840 is a local privilege escalation issue in McAfee Agent for Windows before 5.7.3. An attacker who already has valid Windows credentials could abuse DLL preloading with unsigned DLLs to gain elevated permissions and run arbitrary code.
Executive priority
Treat as high priority for endpoint hygiene. It is not a remote unauthenticated issue, but it can turn ordinary local credentials into elevated code execution on protected Windows systems.
Technical view
The issue is CWE-427: uncontrolled search path or DLL preloading. It affects McAfee Agent for Windows prior to 5.7.3. CVSS 3.1 is 7.3 high, with local attack vector, low complexity, low privileges required, user interaction required, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to Windows systems running McAfee Agent versions earlier than 5.7.3. Internet exposure is not indicated; exploitation requires local authenticated access to the Windows system.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or confirmed active exploitation. Practical risk rises where attackers can obtain low-privileged Windows credentials and interact locally with systems running vulnerable agents.
Researcher notes
Key constraints are local access, valid credentials, and user interaction. The bundle identifies the weakness class and version boundary but does not provide detailed affected build ranges beyond prior to 5.7.3.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade McAfee Agent for Windows to version 5.7.3 or later.
- Confirm vendor advisory SB10362 for current remediation guidance.
- Prioritize managed Windows endpoints with older McAfee Agent installations.
- Restrict unnecessary local logons to systems running endpoint management agents.
Validation and detection
- Inventory McAfee Agent for Windows versions across endpoints.
- Flag any installation below version 5.7.3 for remediation.
- Confirm upgraded endpoints report the expected agent version.
- Review local telemetry for suspicious unsigned DLL activity where available.
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-427: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. 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 lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-31840 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
- 7.3 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/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:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.35.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.3HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://kc.mcafee.com/corporate/index?page=content&id=SB10362CVE 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.
Uncontrolled Search Path Element
Uncontrolled Search Path Element represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.