Physical authentication bypass via undisclosed mechanism
Published Nov 10, 2021 · Updated Aug 19, 2026
Security feature bypass in Windows Hello on affected Microsoft Windows releases allows physically proximate attackers to read or alter protected data. Microsoft has not published the flawed component, input, or operation within the Windows Hello authentication path. Exploitation requires physical access and high-complexity conditions; successful attacks affect confidentiality and integrity without interrupting service.
Summary
What happened
Security feature bypass in Windows Hello on affected Microsoft Windows releases allows physically proximate attackers to read or alter protected data. Microsoft has not published the flawed component, input, or operation within the Windows Hello authentication path. Exploitation requires physical access and high-complexity conditions; successful attacks affect confidentiality and integrity without interrupting service.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2021-42288
- Published
- Nov 10, 2021
- Updated
- Aug 19, 2026
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Windows Server 2019
- Classifications
- Unavailable
- Attack vector
- physical
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Nov 10, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 19, 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.
- Affected versionversion=10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.2300
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
No sourced classifications are available.
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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