CVE-2021-20674
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 · uneditedUntrusted search path vulnerability in Installer of MagicConnect Client program distributed before 2021 March 1 allows an attacker to gain privileges and via a Trojan horse DLL in an unspecified directory and to execute arbitrary code with the privilege of the user invoking the installer when a terminal is connected remotely using Remote desktop.
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 confidenceThis is a DLL hijacking vulnerability in the MagicConnect Client installer distributed before March 2021. The installer uses an untrusted search path, allowing it to load a malicious DLL placed by an attacker in an unspecified directory. When a user runs the installer during a Remote Desktop session, the Trojan horse DLL is loaded, enabling arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the user running the installer.
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< 2021-03-01CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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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Identify MagicConnect Client installationLook for MagicConnect Client software on the system. Check Program Files directories or use the system's installed programs list (e.g., 'Programs and Features' in Control Panel or 'Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product' in PowerShell).Affected if MagicConnect Client is installed and the installer used was obtained before March 2021.
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Check installer file timestampLocate the original MagicConnect installer file (.msi or setup.exe) that was used to install the client. Right-click the file, select Properties, and examine the 'Created' or 'Modified' date timestamp.Affected if The installer file was created or modified before March 1, 2021.
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Check for running Remote Desktop sessionOpen Command Prompt or PowerShell and run 'query session' or 'Get-Process' commands to determine if the current session is a Remote Desktop (RDP) session. Alternatively, check the environment variable SESSIONNAME.Affected if The installer is being executed while the user is logged in via Remote Desktop services.
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Inspect installer directory for suspicious DLLsExamine the directory from which the MagicConnect installer was launched, as well as common DLL search path locations (system temp folders, working directory, system32). Look for unexpected or unfamiliar DLL files that could have been placed by an attacker.Affected if Unexpected DLL files exist in the installer's launch directory or in the DLL search path.
A system is affected if the MagicConnect Client installer was obtained and run before March 2021, particularly during a Remote Desktop session, and if unexpected DLL files are present in the installer directory or DLL search path.
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 data2021-03-01
Update MagicConnect Client to a version released on or after March 1, 2021, which contains the corrected installer. Avoid running installers during remote desktop sessions as a compensating control until the update is applied.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-20674 — 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-2021-20674 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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- 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
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