CVE-2021-4088
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 · uneditedSQL injection vulnerability in Data Loss Protection (DLP) ePO extension 11.8.x prior to 11.8.100, 11.7.x prior to 11.7.101, and 11.6.401 allows a remote authenticated attacker to inject unfiltered SQL into the DLP part of the ePO database. This could lead to remote code execution on the ePO server with 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 confidenceSQL injection vulnerability in McAfee Data Loss Protection (DLP) ePO extension allows authenticated remote attackers to inject unfiltered SQL queries into the DLP portion of the ePO database, potentially achieving remote code execution on the ePO server through privilege escalation.
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>= 11.7.0, < 11.7.101>= 11.8.0, < 11.8.100= 11.6.401CVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm McAfee DLP ePO extension is installedLog into the ePO console and navigate to the Extensions or Software section to verify the McAfee Data Loss Prevention extension is present on the server.Affected if The DLP ePO extension is not installed or not present in the ePO console.
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Identify installed DLP extension versionWithin the ePO console, locate the installed version of the McAfee Data Loss Prevention extension. This is typically found in the extension details, properties, or version information section of the DLP extension.Affected if Unable to determine the installed version from the ePO console.
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Compare version against affected rangesMatch your installed version against the following vulnerable ranges: 11.7.0 through 11.7.100 (excluding 11.7.101), 11.8.0 through 11.8.100 (excluding 11.8.100), and version 11.6.401.Affected if Your installed version falls within any of these ranges: >= 11.7.0 and < 11.7.101, OR >= 11.8.0 and < 11.8.100, OR exactly version 11.6.401.
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Verify ePO administrative access controlsReview the ePO server user accounts and permission levels to determine whether untrusted or low-privilege users have administrative or elevated access to the ePO console.Affected if Untrusted or non-administrator accounts have access to the ePO administrative interface, as the vulnerability requires an authenticated attacker.
Your environment is affected if the McAfee DLP ePO extension is installed and its version falls within 11.7.0 to 11.7.100, 11.8.0 to 11.8.99, or equals 11.6.401, and untrusted users have ePO console access.
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.
dbcve · scoped11.7.10111.8.100
Apply vendor patches: upgrade to ePO DLP extension 11.8.100, 11.7.101, or 11.6.401 or later. Prior to patching, restrict ePO administrative access to trusted personnel only.
11.8.100 or 11.7.101 (depending on your current major version)
- Verify current DLP ePO extension version through ePO console under Menu > Software > Extensions > Data Loss Prevention
- For DLP versions 11.8.0 through 11.8.99: Upgrade to version 11.8.100
- For DLP versions 11.7.0 through 11.7.100: Upgrade to version 11.7.101
- For DLP version 11.6.401: Upgrade to the latest supported version (11.7.101 or later)
- Download the appropriate update from the McAfee Knowledge Center (kc.mcafee.com) or through the ePO update server
- Deploy the upgrade through ePO console using Menu > Software > Extensions > Data Loss Prevention > Install Extension
- Verify the upgrade was successful and restart ePO services if prompted
- Test that DLP functionality operates normally post-upgrade
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,072.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-4088 — 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-2021-4088 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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