Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-47874 is a Windows local privilege escalation issue in VFS for Git 1.0.21014.1. A user who already has local access could abuse the GVFS.Service service path handling to run code as LocalSystem when the service starts or the system reboots. This is high impact, but not a remote, unauthenticated internet attack.
Executive priority
Treat as a high-priority endpoint and developer-platform issue. It can turn a low-privileged local foothold into full system control, increasing risk on source-code and build environments. It is less urgent than remotely exploitable internet-facing vulnerabilities.
Technical view
The issue is CWE-428: an unquoted service path in the GVFS.Service Windows service. The CVSS 4.0 vector indicates local attack, low complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact on the vulnerable system.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to Windows systems running VFS for Git version 1.0.21014.1 with the GVFS.Service installed. Organizations using VFS for Git on developer workstations or build systems should prioritize inventory and validation.
Exploitation context
The source bundle includes an ExploitDB reference, indicating public exploit information exists. The CVE is not listed as KEV in the provided data, so active exploitation is not confirmed here. Successful exploitation requires local access and likely depends on writable locations along the affected service path.
Researcher notes
Available sources identify one affected version: VFS for Git 1.0.21014.1. No fixed version is provided in the bundle. Avoid assuming broader product impact without vendor confirmation. Public exploit material exists, but the provided data does not confirm in-the-wild exploitation.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory systems for VFS for Git 1.0.21014.1 and GVFS.Service.
- Check vendor or project guidance for fixed versions or supported remediation.
- Prioritize remediation on developer workstations and build servers.
- Restrict unnecessary local user access to affected Windows systems.
- Review service path configuration and local write permissions for exposure.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether VFS for Git 1.0.21014.1 is installed.
- Verify whether the GVFS.Service Windows service exists.
- Inspect whether the service binary path is unquoted.
- Assess write permissions on directories in the service path.
- Document systems requiring vendor-directed remediation or upgrade.
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-428: 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 lookupCVE-2021-47874 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
- 8.5 (4.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA: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:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N——Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 4.0 score
8.5HighVector: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- ExploitDB-49661CVE reference · exploit
- Vendor HomepageCVE reference · product
- VulnCheck Advisory: VFS for Git 1.0.21014.1 - 'GVFS.Service' Unquoted Service PathCVE reference · 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.
Unquoted Search Path or Element
Unquoted Search Path or Element represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.