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Endpoint SecurityApplication · Mcafee

CVE-2021-31842

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.7.0 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
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
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.

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

XML Entity Expansion injection vulnerability in McAfee Endpoint Security (ENS) for Windows allows a local user to cause denial of service by editing the EPDeploy.xml configuration file with maliciously crafted XML entity definitions that cause excessive CPU and memory consumption when parsed by the setup process.

MitigationUpdate McAfee Endpoint Security for Windows to version 10.7.0 September 2021 Update or later to remediate the vulnerability. Review and restrict write access to EPDeploy.xml configuration files to prevent local exploitation.

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:< 10.7.0= 10.7.0

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 McAfee Endpoint Security console or check Windows Programs and Features for 'McAfee Endpoint Security' version, or run 'Get-Process' or check registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\McAfee\Endpoint-Security
    Affected if Version displayed is 10.7.0 or any version lower than 10.7.0 (for example, 10.6.x, 10.5.x)
  2. Locate EPDeploy.xml configuration file
    Search for EPDeploy.xml in common McAfee deployment paths such as C:\Program Files\McAfee\Endpoint Security\ or subdirectories under \Common Files\McAfee\ or in installation media/folders
    Affected if EPDeploy.xml file exists in any McAfee-related directory on the system
  3. Verify write permissions on EPDeploy.xml
    Right-click EPDeploy.xml file, go to Properties > Security tab, and check which users or groups have Write or Full Control permissions
    Affected if Non-administrator users or standard users have Write or Modify permissions to EPDeploy.xml
  4. Inspect EPDeploy.xml for suspicious entity definitions
    Open EPDeploy.xml in a text editor and look for <!ENTITY declarations with recursive or expanding definitions, or unusually long DOCTYPE sections with entity references
    Affected if File contains <!ENTITY definitions with nested or recursive references that could cause exponential expansion when parsed

You are affected if your installed McAfee Endpoint Security version is 10.7.0 or any earlier version, AND the EPDeploy.xml file exists with modifiable permissions or contains malicious XML entity definitions.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 10.7.0 or later
Fixed in 10.7.0
Interim mitigation

Update McAfee Endpoint Security for Windows to version 10.7.0 September 2021 Update or later to remediate the vulnerability. Review and restrict write access to EPDeploy.xml configuration files to prevent local exploitation.

Recommended fix High confidence

10.7.0 September 2021 Update or later

  1. Navigate to the McAfee KnowledgeBase at kc.mcafee.com and locate the download for Endpoint Security 10.7.0 September 2021 Update or later
  2. Download the Endpoint Security for Windows 10.7.0 September 2021 Update package
  3. Ensure you have a backup of current ENS configuration and policy settings
  4. Run the installer with appropriate administrative privileges
  5. Follow the on-screen installation wizard to complete the upgrade
  6. Verify the ENS version shows 10.7.0 September 2021 Update or later after installation
  7. Confirm the EPDeploy.xml file is not edited with malicious entity expansions
Caveat Standard patch update; verify compatibility with other McAfee products in your environment before deploying

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Endpoint Security Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,664.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2021-31842 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