Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-4481 affects Dräger Protector Software before version 6.4.2. A person with local access to the host could abuse weak file permissions to run code with NT SYSTEM privileges. This is a serious endpoint compromise risk, especially on systems supporting safety, medical, or operational workflows.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation on systems where Protector Software supports operational, safety, or regulated workflows. Treat this as high urgency for shared workstations, remotely administered systems, or hosts accessible by many users.
Technical view
The issue is CWE-732: incorrect permission assignment for critical resources. Sources describe insecure filesystem permissions that allow replacement of binaries or loaded modules, leading to arbitrary code execution with elevated NT SYSTEM privileges. The CVSS 4.0 score is 8.3, high severity, with local attack vector and user interaction noted.
Likely exposure
Organizations running Dräger Protector Software versions prior to 6.4.2 are the relevant population. Exposure depends on where the software is installed and who can access those Windows hosts locally or through interactive sessions.
Exploitation context
The sources describe local privilege escalation, not remote exploitation. The CVE is not listed as KEV in the provided bundle, and no cited source states active exploitation. An attacker would need local execution context and could gain SYSTEM-level control if vulnerable permissions are present.
Researcher notes
The public description is consistent with a local file-permission privilege escalation. Avoid assuming remote exploitability. The affected-version metadata in the bundle is limited, so validate against Dräger’s advisory and installed product version evidence.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade Dräger Protector Software to version 6.4.2 or later where applicable.
- Review the Dräger vendor advisory for environment-specific guidance.
- Restrict local and interactive access to systems running the software.
- Monitor affected hosts for unexpected changes to application binaries or modules.
Validation and detection
- Inventory endpoints for Dräger Protector Software installations.
- Confirm installed versions and flag any version before 6.4.2.
- Review application directory permissions for unintended write access.
- Check security logs for suspicious modifications to Protector Software files.
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-732: 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 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 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-2021-4481 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
- 8.3 (4.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:H/SA: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.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
2 official scoresWe 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:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:H/SA:H——VulnCheckCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:H1.85.8VulnCheckVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 4.0 score
8.3HighVector: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:H/SA:H
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.2HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:H
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://static.draeger.com/security/download/2021-267-01-Draeger-Protector-Software-vulnerabilities.pdfCVE reference, VulnCheck · vendor-advisory
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/dr-ger-protector-software-local-privilege-escalation-via-insecure-file-permissionsCVE reference, VulnCheck · third-party-advisory
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.