CVE-2015-8991
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedMalicious file execution vulnerability in Intel Security McAfee Security Scan+ (MSS+) before 3.11.266.3 allows attackers to make the product momentarily vulnerable via executing preexisting specifically crafted malware during installation or uninstallation, but not during normal operation.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceMcAfee Security Scan+ before version 3.11.266.3 contains a malicious file execution vulnerability that makes the product momentarily vulnerable during installation or uninstallation processes. Attackers with preexisting specifically crafted malware on the target system can exploit this brief window to execute their malicious code through the product's transitional states, though not during normal operation.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 3.7.2= 4.0.1= 4.0.2all versionsall versionsCVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check if McAfee Security Scan Plus is installedOpen Programs and Features (appwiz.cpl) or check the installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\McAfee\Security Scan\) for the presence of Security Scan PlusAffected if The product is present on the system
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Determine the installed version of McAfee Security Scan PlusRight-click the Security Scan Plus icon in the system tray or in Programs and Features, select 'About' or 'Check for updates' to view the version number, or check the file version of the main executable (usually mcapexe.exe or McUICnt.exe) in the installation folderAffected if The version is lower than 3.11.266.3 or cannot be determined (all versions before 3.11.266.3 are affected)
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Check if McAfee Security Webadvisor is installedLook for WebAdvisor in Programs and Features or check C:\Program Files\McAfee\WebAdvisor\ for the presence of the productAffected if Version 3.7.2, 4.0.1, or 4.0.2 is installed
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Check if McAfee Cloud AV is installedLook for McAfee Cloud AV, McAfee CloudAV, or related naming in Programs and Features, or check the Program Files folder for cloud AV componentsAffected if Any version of McAfee Cloud AV is installed (all versions are affected)
If any of the three affected products (Security Scan Plus version < 3.11.266.3, WebAdvisor versions 3.7.2/4.0.1/4.0.2, or Cloud AV any version) are present, the system is vulnerable during installation or uninstallation processes.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpdate McAfee Security Scan+ to version 3.11.266.3 or later. Ensure systems are not compromised prior to installation or uninstallation, and avoid running the installer/uninstaller in potentially hostile environments.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-8991 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2015-8991 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data