CVE-2021-36945

Administrator code execution via mispermissioned directory

Published Aug 12, 2021 · Updated Aug 10, 2026

Privilege escalation in Microsoft Windows Update Assistant before publication allows local users to execute code as Administrator. The assistant assigns incorrect permissions to a directory, but public sources do not identify that directory or its affected ACL. Exploitation requires low-privileged code execution and user interaction on the affected PC, after which attacker-controlled code runs as Administrator.

CVSS severity7.3
High
EPSS probability1.88%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Privilege escalation in Microsoft Windows Update Assistant before publication allows local users to execute code as Administrator. The assistant assigns incorrect permissions to a directory, but public sources do not identify that directory or its affected ACL. Exploitation requires low-privileged code execution and user interaction on the affected PC, after which attacker-controlled code runs as Administrator.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-36945
Published
Aug 12, 2021
Updated
Aug 10, 2026
Vendor
Microsoft
Product
Windows Update Assistant
Classifications
CWE-269, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 12, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 10, 2026Record 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=10.0.0 <publication

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Microsoft · Windows Update Assistantversion=10.0.0 <publication

Published CVSS scores

7.3Microsoft CorporationCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
6.8NIST NVDAV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
7.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-269Improper Privilege Management
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

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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