Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-42255 is a local privilege escalation flaw in AppGuard Enterprise before 6.7.100.1. A non-admin user could gain SYSTEM-level control because a repair operation uses that user's insecure %TEMP% directory. This matters most on endpoints where local user compromise is plausible.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority endpoint security update where AppGuard Enterprise is deployed. The issue requires local access, but successful exploitation could grant SYSTEM privileges and undermine endpoint protection controls.
Technical view
The CVE describes insecure temporary-file handling: AppGuard Enterprise before 6.7.100.1 creates a temporary file in a directory with insecure permissions. The vulnerable repair workflow depends on an unprivileged user's %TEMP% path, enabling local escalation to SYSTEM. No CVSS vector or CWE is provided in the source bundle.
Likely exposure
Organizations running AppGuard Enterprise versions before 6.7.100.1 on Windows endpoints are the relevant exposure. The source bundle does not identify specific editions, configurations, or platforms beyond AppGuard Enterprise.
Exploitation context
The available sources support local privilege escalation, not remote exploitation. CISA KEV status is false in the bundle, and no cited source here confirms active exploitation in the wild.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE description and referenced public advisories. The vulnerable condition centers on temporary-file creation during repair and reliance on an unprivileged user's %TEMP% directory. The bundle provides no exploit status, CVSS score, or detailed affected CPE data.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory AppGuard Enterprise installations and versions.
- Upgrade AppGuard Enterprise to 6.7.100.1 or later where applicable.
- Review vendor or Mandiant guidance before relying on compensating controls.
- Prioritize systems used by many local users or administrators.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed AppGuard Enterprise version on managed endpoints.
- Check whether any endpoint runs a version before 6.7.100.1.
- Review endpoint logs for unexpected repair operations or privilege changes.
- Validate remediation through software inventory after updates.
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-2021-42255 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://www.beyondtrust.com/blogCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/mandiant/Vulnerability-Disclosures/blob/master/2022/MNDT-2022-0022/MNDT-2022-0022.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.