Local privilege escalation in dssenh.dll
Published Jun 8, 2021 · Updated Oct 21, 2025
Privilege escalation in Microsoft Enhanced Cryptographic Provider on affected Windows releases allows local users to gain elevated privileges. The flaw resides in dssenh.dll, but Microsoft has not published the coding error or the untrusted input that reaches it. The attacker must already have low-privilege local access, and successful exploitation grants additional privileges; active exploitation is documented.
Summary
What happened
Privilege escalation in Microsoft Enhanced Cryptographic Provider on affected Windows releases allows local users to gain elevated privileges. The flaw resides in dssenh.dll, but Microsoft has not published the coding error or the untrusted input that reaches it. The attacker must already have low-privilege local access, and successful exploitation grants additional privileges; active exploitation is documented.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2021-31201
- Published
- Jun 8, 2021
- Updated
- Oct 21, 2025
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Windows 10 Version 1507
- Classifications
- T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jun 8, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Nov 3, 2021Exploitation reportedCISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog listing
- Oct 21, 2025Record 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.
- Affected versionversion=10.0.0 <10.0.10240.18967
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
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.
Reported exploitation
- CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog listingknown exploited catalog
- Reported active exploitationreported exploitation
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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