CVE-2021-23880

Authenticated admin anti-malware removal via unchecked attribute

Published Feb 10, 2021 · Updated Sep 16, 2024

Improper access control in McAfee ENS for Windows before the February 2021 update lets authenticated local administrators uninstall the anti-malware engine. The installer attribute handling accepts a specially parameterized command that permits the anti-malware component to be removed without an additional authorization check. The gate is local administrator authentication; successful use disables malware scanning and can leave the endpoint without that protection.

CVSS severity4.4
Medium
EPSS probability0.29%
Next 30 days · Sep 17, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper access control in McAfee ENS for Windows before the February 2021 update lets authenticated local administrators uninstall the anti-malware engine. The installer attribute handling accepts a specially parameterized command that permits the anti-malware component to be removed without an additional authorization check. The gate is local administrator authentication; successful use disables malware scanning and can leave the endpoint without that protection.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-23880
Published
Feb 10, 2021
Updated
Sep 16, 2024
Vendor
McAfee
Product
McAfee Endpoint Security for Windows
Classifications
CWE-269, T1562.001
Attack vector
local
Privileges
admin

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Feb 10, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 16, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=10.7.x <10.7.0 February 2021

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesadmin

What is affected?

McAfee · McAfee Endpoint Security for Windowsversion=10.7.x <10.7.0 February 2021

Published CVSS scores

6.7TrellixCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
2.1NVDAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N
4.4NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesadmin
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-269Improper Privilege Management
T1562.001Impair Defenses: Disable or Modify Tools

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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