dbcve.org
MeetingsApplication · Zoom

CVE-2021-34412

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.4.0 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
During the installation process for all versions of the Zoom Client for Meetings for Windows before 5.4.0, it is possible to launch Internet Explorer. If the installer was launched with elevated privileges such as by SCCM this can result in a local privilege escalation.

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

A local privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the Zoom Client for Meetings Windows installer (versions before 5.4.0). During the installation process, the installer can be manipulated to launch Internet Explorer with elevated privileges inherited from the installer process. When the installer runs with elevated privileges (such as when deployed via SCCM), this allows a local attacker to potentially execute code or gain privileges at the elevated level.

MitigationUpgrade Zoom Client for Meetings for Windows to version 5.4.0 or later. If possible, avoid running the installer with elevated privileges, or ensure the installation process is sandboxed and monitored.

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
MeetingsApplication
Affected:< 5.4.0

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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. Check installed Zoom version
    Open Zoom Client for Meetings and navigate to Help > About Zoom, or check the Windows Programs and Features list for the installed version
    Affected if The displayed version is lower than 5.4.0 (for example, 5.3.x or earlier)
  2. Verify Zoom installation exists
    Check Programs and Features in Control Panel or Settings > Apps > Apps & features for an entry named Zoom Meetings
    Affected if Zoom is installed and the version shown is less than 5.4.0
  3. Check installer deployment method
    Review how Zoom was deployed in your environment - check if SCCM, Group Policy, or another method that typically runs with elevated privileges was used to install Zoom
    Affected if The installer was run with elevated privileges (such as via SCCM/system context) and the installed Zoom version is below 5.4.0
  4. Review installation logs
    Check installation logs or deployment records for evidence of elevated installation context
    Affected if Logs indicate the installer executed with elevated/administrative privileges on a version prior to 5.4.0

You are affected if Zoom Meetings for Windows is installed with a version lower than 5.4.0 and the installer ran 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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.4.0 or later
Fixed in 5.4.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Zoom Client for Meetings for Windows to version 5.4.0 or later. If possible, avoid running the installer with elevated privileges, or ensure the installation process is sandboxed and monitored.

Recommended fix High confidence

Zoom Client for Meetings for Windows 5.4.0 or later

  1. Download Zoom Client for Meetings for Windows version 5.4.0 or later from the official Zoom website
  2. Verify the installer version before running
  3. Uninstall any existing Zoom client versions if present
  4. Run the installer with appropriate privileges
  5. Confirm successful installation and verify the installed version is 5.4.0 or later

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

Fix this in Meetings Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,980
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,168.

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-2021-34412 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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