Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
A weakness in older versions of Malwarebytes for Teams could let someone already logged in to a Windows computer gain higher system privileges by abusing how the antivirus service talks to other programs. Malwarebytes fixed it in version 1.0.1003. The risk is moderate because the attacker must already have access to the device.
Executive priority
Schedule a routine update of Malwarebytes for Teams to v1.0.1003 or later across managed endpoints; not an emergency, but should not linger.
Technical view
CVE-2021-43768 is an improper privilege management flaw (CWE-269) in the COM interface exposed by mbamservice.exe in Malwarebytes for Teams v1.0.990 and earlier. A local user could leverage the COM surface to escalate privileges. Malwarebytes resolved the issue in v1.0.1003. Reported via HackerOne (#895316); CVSS 3.1 base score 5.3.
Likely exposure
Limited to Windows endpoints running Malwarebytes for Teams at v1.0.990 or earlier. Organizations on the consumer or business product lines, or already on v1.0.1003+, are not exposed. Exposure is highest where endpoint software updates are deferred or manually managed.
Exploitation context
No public reports of active exploitation and not on CISA KEV. The issue was disclosed responsibly through HackerOne and remediated by the vendor. Local user access to an affected workstation is required, which limits opportunistic abuse but raises post-compromise risk.
Researcher notes
CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management) tied to the COM interface exposed by mbamservice.exe. CVSS 3.1 vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N is unusual for a local privilege escalation and likely understates impact; the HackerOne report (#895316) and vendor advisory describe local privilege escalation behavior. Treat as a local EoP class issue against the Malwarebytes service. No public PoC reviewed in this bundle.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade Malwarebytes for Teams to v1.0.1003 or later on all endpoints.
- Confirm auto-update is enabled in the Malwarebytes management console.
- Inventory endpoints still reporting v1.0.990 or earlier and prioritize them.
- Restrict local interactive logon on endpoints handling sensitive data.
- Review vendor advisory at malwarebytes.com/secure/cves for any updated guidance.
Validation and detection
- Query endpoint inventory for installed Malwarebytes for Teams version.
- Flag any host below v1.0.1003 as vulnerable and pending remediation.
- Verify mbamservice.exe binary version after update completes.
- Check Malwarebytes management console for update compliance reporting.
- Confirm no scheduled deferrals are blocking the patch from applying.
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-2021-43768 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
- Medium
- CVSS
- 5.3 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
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:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N3.91.4Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.3MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://hackerone.com/reports/895316CVE reference
- https://www.malwarebytes.com/secure/cves/cve-2021-43768CVE reference
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.