How severe is CVE-2021-31842?

CVE-2021-31842 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.0, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2021-31842 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (12th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-31842?

CVE-2021-31842 primarily affects Mcafee Endpoint Security. In total, 9 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-31842?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2021-31842 published?

CVE-2021-31842 was published on 2021-09-17 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-31842

CVE-2021-31842 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Mcafee Endpoint Security with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.0. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-776.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.0)
CVSS v2: 2.1
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (12th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-776
Affected product: Mcafee Endpoint Security
Published: 2021-09-17
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

XML Entity Expansion injection vulnerability in McAfee Endpoint Security (ENS) for Windows prior to 10.7.0 September 2021 Update allows a local user to initiate high CPU and memory consumption resulting in a Denial of Service attack through carefully editing the EPDeploy.xml file and then executing the setup process.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-31842?: XML Entity Expansion injection vulnerability in McAfee Endpoint Security (ENS) for Windows prior to 10.7.0 September 2021 Update allows a local user to initiate high CPU and memory consumption resulting in a Denial of Service attack through carefully editing the EPDeploy.xml file and then executing the setup process.
How severe is CVE-2021-31842?: CVE-2021-31842 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.0, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2021-31842 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (12th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-31842?: CVE-2021-31842 primarily affects Mcafee Endpoint Security. In total, 9 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-31842?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2021-31842 published?: CVE-2021-31842 was published on 2021-09-17 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://kc.mcafee.com/corporate/index?page=content&id=SB10367

Affected products (9)

cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:endpoint_security:*:*:*:*:*:windows:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:endpoint_security:10.7.0:april_2020:*:*:*:windows:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:endpoint_security:10.7.0:april_2021:*:*:*:windows:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:endpoint_security:10.7.0:february_2020:*:*:*:windows:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:endpoint_security:10.7.0:february_2021:*:*:*:windows:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:endpoint_security:10.7.0:july_2020:*:*:*:windows:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:endpoint_security:10.7.0:june_2021:*:*:*:windows:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:endpoint_security:10.7.0:november_2020:*:*:*:windows:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:endpoint_security:10.7.0:september_2020:*:*:*:windows:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Mcafee Endpoint Security

CVE-2020-7319 — High (CVSS 8.8): Improper Access Control vulnerability in McAfee Endpoint Security (ENS) for Windows prior to 10.7.0 September 2020…
CVE-2020-7265 — High (CVSS 8.8): Privilege Escalation vulnerability in McAfee Endpoint Security (ENS) for Mac prior to 10.6.9 allows local users to…
CVE-2020-7264 — High (CVSS 8.8): Privilege Escalation vulnerability in McAfee Endpoint Security (ENS) for Windows prior to 10.7.0 Hotfix 199847 allows…
CVE-2019-3582 — High (CVSS 8.6): Privilege Escalation vulnerability in Microsoft Windows client in McAfee Endpoint Security (ENS) 10.6.1 and earlier…
CVE-2020-7257 — High (CVSS 8.4): Privilege escalation vulnerability in McAfee Endpoint Security (ENS) for Windows prior to 10.7.0 February 2020 Update…
CVE-2021-23882 — High (CVSS 8.2): Improper Access Control vulnerability in McAfee Endpoint Security (ENS) for Windows prior to 10.7.0 February 2021…

All CVEs affecting Mcafee Endpoint Security →

Other CWE-776 vulnerabilities

CVE-2019-19144 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): XML External Entity Injection vulnerability in Quantum DXi6702 2.3.0.3 (11449-53631 Build304) devices via…
CVE-2022-23640 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Excel-Streaming-Reader is an easy-to-use implementation of a streaming Excel reader using Apache POI. Prior to…
CVE-2014-2228 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The XStream extension in HP Fortify SCA before 2.2 RC3 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via unsafe…
CVE-2013-4335 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): opOpenSocialPlugin 0.8.2.1, > 0.9.9.2, 0.9.13, 1.2.6: Multiple XML External Entity Injection Vulnerabilities
CVE-2021-23926 — Critical (CVSS 9.1): The XML parsers used by XMLBeans up to version 2.6.0 did not set the properties needed to protect the user from…
CVE-2020-24590 — Critical (CVSS 9.1): The Management Console in WSO2 API Manager through 3.1.0 and API Microgateway 2.2.0 allows XML Entity Expansion attacks.

Browse all CWE-776 vulnerabilities →