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Endpoint SecurityApplication · Mcafee

CVE-2020-7276

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-04-15
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

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 · unedited
Authentication bypass vulnerability in MfeUpgradeTool in McAfee Endpoint Security (ENS) for Windows prior to 10.7.0 April 2020 Update allows administrator users to access policy settings via running this tool.

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 · moderate confidence

Authentication bypass vulnerability in McAfee Endpoint Security (ENS) for Windows MfeUpgradeTool allows authenticated administrator users to bypass authentication controls and access policy settings. The vulnerability exists in versions prior to the April 2020 update (10.7.0).

MitigationUpgrade McAfee Endpoint Security for Windows to version 10.7.0 April 2020 Update or later to remediate the authentication bypass in MfeUpgradeTool.

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
Endpoint SecurityApplication
Affected:= 10.5.0= 10.5.1= 10.5.2= 10.5.3= 10.5.4= 10.5.5= 10.6.0

CVSS 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
Low
Privileges
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed McAfee Endpoint Security version
    Open Windows Registry Editor and navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\McAfee\Endpoint Security or run 'mfeamgmt' command line tool if available. Alternatively, check Programs and Features for McAfee Endpoint Security version entry.
    Affected if The displayed version matches 10.5.0, 10.5.1, 10.5.2, 10.5.3, 10.5.4, 10.5.5, or 10.6.0, indicating a vulnerable version prior to the April 2020 10.7.0 update.
  2. Locate MfeUpgradeTool component
    Search for MfeUpgradeTool.exe in the McAfee installation directory, typically found under C:\Program Files\McAfee\Endpoint Security or C:\Program Files (x86)\McAfee\Endpoint Security. Use file explorer search or command: dir /s MfeUpgradeTool.exe
    Affected if MfeUpgradeTool.exe exists on the system, meaning the vulnerable component is present and could be exploited by an authenticated administrator.
  3. Verify MfeUpgradeTool executable version
    Right-click MfeUpgradeTool.exe, select Properties, then view the Details tab to see File Version. Alternatively, run: powershell (Get-Item 'C:\Program Files\McAfee\Endpoint Security\Tools\MfeUpgradeTool.exe').VersionInfo
    Affected if The file version is blank or corresponds to a build prior to the April 2020 update, confirming the vulnerable binary is in use.
  4. Confirm update status via McAfee ePO or local scan
    Check McAfee Endpoint Security client UI under Help > About, or query the ePolicy Orchestrator console for the installed patch level. Look for build number or update timestamp indicating whether the April 2020 update has been applied.
    Affected if The system shows no April 2020 update applied or displays a build date prior to April 2020, indicating the authentication bypass remains unpatched.

A user is affected if McAfee Endpoint Security for Windows is installed with version 10.5.x or 10.6.0 and the MfeUpgradeTool component is present on the system, as this combination allows an authenticated administrator to bypass authentication controls and access policy settings.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade McAfee Endpoint Security for Windows to version 10.7.0 April 2020 Update or later to remediate the authentication bypass in MfeUpgradeTool.

Fix this in Endpoint Security Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,380
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-7276 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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