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Policy AuditorApplication · Mcafee

CVE-2021-31851

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-11-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.5.2 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
A Reflected Cross-Site Scripting vulnerability in McAfee Policy Auditor prior to 6.5.2 allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the profileNodeID request parameters. The malicious script is reflected unmodified into the Policy Auditor web-based interface which could lead to the extraction of end user session token or login credentials. These may be used to access additional security-critical applications or conduct arbitrary cross-domain requests.

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

Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in McAfee Policy Auditor web interface. An unauthenticated remote attacker can inject malicious JavaScript through the profileNodeID request parameter, which is reflected unmodified into the application's response page. This allows session hijacking via stolen session tokens or credentials.

MitigationUpgrade McAfee Policy Auditor to version 6.5.2 or later, which contains the fix for this vulnerability. As an interim measure, implement input validation and output encoding on the profileNodeID parameter at the application layer.

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
Policy AuditorApplication
Affected:< 6.5.2

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

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 Policy Auditor installation
    Check if McAfee Policy Auditor is installed on the system by looking for its installation directory (typically in Program Files\McAfee\Policy Auditor) or checking installed programs via Windows Control Panel or registry keys under HKLM\SOFTWARE\McAfee\Policy Auditor
    Affected if McAfee Policy Auditor is not installed - not affected. If installed, proceed to version check.
  2. Determine installed version
    Locate the Policy Auditor version information - commonly found in the product's about section, in the installation directory (version.ini or similar), or via the McAfee ePO console if managed centrally
    Affected if Version is less than 6.5.2 - the environment is vulnerable to this XSS flaw.
  3. Confirm web interface is enabled
    Check if the Policy Auditor web interface service is running and enabled. This is typically the McAfee Policy Auditor Web Console, often running on port 8443 or 443. Verify the service status via Windows Services or check if the web port is listening.
    Affected if Web interface is disabled or not installed - the reflected XSS via profileNodeID cannot be triggered, reducing risk.
  4. Assess network exposure of web interface
    Determine if the Policy Auditor web console is accessible from untrusted networks by reviewing firewall rules, reverse proxies, or network segmentation configurations
    Affected if Web interface is exposed to unauthenticated/untrusted network access - the vulnerability can be exploited by remote attackers without credentials.

You are affected if McAfee Policy Auditor version is below 6.5.2 AND the web interface is enabled and accessible to the attacker.

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 6.5.2 or later
Fixed in 6.5.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade McAfee Policy Auditor to version 6.5.2 or later, which contains the fix for this vulnerability. As an interim measure, implement input validation and output encoding on the profileNodeID parameter at the application layer.

Recommended fix High confidence

Policy Auditor 6.5.2

  1. 1. Back up the current Policy Auditor configuration and database.
  2. 2. Review McAfee Knowledge Base (kc.mcafee.com) for upgrade prerequisites and compatibility requirements.
  3. 3. Download Policy Auditor version 6.5.2 or later from the McAfee download portal.
  4. 4. Follow the official upgrade documentation to install the new version.
  5. 5. Verify the upgrade was successful by logging into the Policy Auditor web interface.
  6. 6. Confirm the profileNodeID parameter is now properly sanitized and the XSS vulnerability is remediated.
Caveat Review McAfee upgrade documentation for any configuration changes or migration requirements between your current version and 6.5.2

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

Fix this in Policy Auditor Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.

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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-2021-31851 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