Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-31983 is a high-severity remote code execution vulnerability in Microsoft Paint 3D. An attacker would need a user to interact with malicious content, but successful exploitation could compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability on the affected endpoint.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation in normal high-severity desktop patch cycles, especially for user workstations exposed to external files. No active exploitation is evidenced in the provided sources.
Technical view
The source bundle identifies Paint 3D version 6.0.0 as affected, with CVSS 3.1 score 7.8. The vector indicates local attack conditions, low complexity, no privileges required, required user interaction, unchanged scope, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on Windows endpoints where Microsoft Paint 3D 6.0.0 is installed and users can open untrusted 3D or image-related content.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or proven exploit maturity. Treat this as a user-interaction RCE risk, not confirmed active exploitation.
Researcher notes
Public details in the bundle are limited: no CWE is assigned and no exploit mechanics are provided. The main defensible indicators are affected product/version, CVSS vector, MSRC reference, ZDI advisory, and lack of KEV status.
Mitigation direction
- Review Microsoft MSRC guidance for CVE-2021-31983.
- Apply the official Microsoft update or remediation for affected Paint 3D installations.
- Prioritize endpoints where users handle untrusted files.
- Limit opening untrusted Paint 3D-compatible content until remediation is verified.
Validation and detection
- Inventory endpoints for Microsoft Paint 3D 6.0.0.
- Compare installed versions against Microsoft’s CVE-2021-31983 advisory.
- Confirm applicable Microsoft updates are installed successfully.
- Record systems where Paint 3D remains present and unremediated.
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.
Execution 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-2021-31983 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:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C
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:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C1.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-31983CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-658/CVE 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.