dbcve.org
Total ProtectionApplication · Mcafee

CVE-2020-7281

MEDIUM · 6.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-07-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 16.0.r26 or later.
See remediation →
65/100
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
Privilege Escalation vulnerability in McAfee Total Protection (MTP) prior to 16.0.R26 allows local users to delete files the user would otherwise not have access to via manipulating symbolic links to redirect a McAfee delete action to an unintended file. This is achieved through running a malicious script or program on the target machine.

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 confidence

McAfee Total Protection prior to version 16.0.R26 contains a privilege escalation vulnerability where local users can manipulate symbolic links to redirect the product's file deletion function to arbitrary files the user normally wouldn't have access to. By running a malicious script or program that creates or manipulates symlinks, an unprivileged local user can cause the McAfee product (running with elevated privileges) to delete files outside the user's normal permissions.

MitigationUpgrade McAfee Total Protection to version 16.0.R26 or later to patch the vulnerability. As a defense-in-depth measure, limit local user privileges and monitor for suspicious scripts that manipulate symbolic links.

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
Total ProtectionApplication
Affected:< 16.0.r26

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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. Verify McAfee Total Protection is installed
    Check for the presence of McAfee Total Protection on the system. On Windows, look for the installation in Program Files or check the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\McAfee\Total Protection. On macOS, check /Library/Application Support/McAfee or use the command: ls /Library/Application\ Support/ | grep -i mcafee
    Affected if McAfee Total Protection is not found on the system, then this CVE does not apply.
  2. Determine installed version of McAfee Total Protection
    Retrieve the product version. On Windows, check the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\McAfee\Total Protection\Version or right-click the McAfee icon in the system tray and select 'About'. On macOS, run: defaults read /Library/Application\ Support/McAfee/mfeedct.cfg ProductVersion 2>/dev/null
    Affected if The installed version is lower than 16.0.R26 (for example, 16.0.R25, 16.0.R24, etc.), indicating the vulnerable version is present.
  3. Verify the product's real-time scanning or file deletion component is enabled
    Check if McAfee's real-time scanning (On-Access Scanner) is active, as this component handles file operations including deletion. On Windows, check the McAfee service 'McShield' is running: Get-Service -Name McShield. Also verify the product is not in a disabled or quiescent state.
    Affected if The vulnerable file deletion functionality is active and the product runs with elevated privileges, creating the condition for symlink exploitation.
  4. Inspect for suspicious symlink activity or recent unauthorized file deletions
    Review system logs for unexpected file deletions, particularly in system directories. Check for newly created symbolic links in user-accessible directories that may target sensitive system files. Run: Get-ChildItem -Path C:\Users\ -Recurse -Filter *.symlink -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue (Windows) or find /Users -type l -ls 2>/dev/null (macOS/Linux)
    Affected if Symlinks targeting system files exist in user directories or logs show unauthorized deletions, indicating possible exploitation attempts.

A system is affected if McAfee Total Protection version 16.0.R26 or later is NOT installed AND the product's file deletion component is actively running with elevated privileges.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 16.0.r26 or later
Fixed in 16.0.r26
Interim mitigation

Upgrade McAfee Total Protection to version 16.0.R26 or later to patch the vulnerability. As a defense-in-depth measure, limit local user privileges and monitor for suspicious scripts that manipulate symbolic links.

Fix this in Total Protection Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get the upgrade done

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 locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-7281 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2020-7281 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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