CVE-2021-4199
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 · uneditedIncorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource vulnerability in the crash handling component BDReinit.exe as used in Bitdefender Total Security, Internet Security, Antivirus Plus, Endpoint Security Tools for Windows allows a remote attacker to escalate local privileges to SYSTEM. This issue affects: Bitdefender Total Security versions prior to 26.0.10.45. Bitdefender Internet Security versions prior to 26.0.10.45. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus versions prior to 26.0.10.45. Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools for Windows versions prior to 7.4.3.146.
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 confidenceBDReinit.exe, a crash handling component in Bitdefender security products, contains an incorrect permission assignment vulnerability that allows a local unprivileged attacker to escalate privileges to SYSTEM by exploiting the overly permissive access controls on the crash handling functionality.
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< 26.0.3.29< 7.4.3.146< 26.0.3.29< 26.0.3.29CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Confirm Bitdefender product installationOpen Programs and Features (appwiz.cpl) or check for Bitdefender services in services.msc. Look for Bitdefender Antivirus Plus, Internet Security, Total Security, or Endpoint Security Tools.Affected if No Bitdefender product is found - the system is not affected by this specific CVE.
-
Locate BDReinit.exe componentSearch for the file BDReinit.exe on the system. Typical locations may include Bitdefender installation directories such as C:\Program Files\Bitdefender\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Bitdefender\. Use PowerShell: Get-ChildItem -Path "C:\Program Files","C:\Program Files (x86)" -Recurse -Filter "BDReinit.exe" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinueAffected if BDReinit.exe is not found - the crash handling component is not present.
-
Determine installed Bitdefender versionOpen Programs and Features, locate the Bitdefender product, and note the installed version column. Alternatively, check the product UI under Help > About, or examine version info of the main Bitdefender executable.Affected if Unable to determine version - version cannot be confirmed against affected ranges.
-
Compare version against affected rangesMatch your installed version to the affected ranges: Antivirus Plus < 26.0.3.29, Endpoint Security Tools < 7.4.3.146, Internet Security < 26.0.3.29, Total Security < 26.0.3.29Affected if Installed version matches or exceeds the fixed versions (26.0.3.29 for consumer products, 7.4.3.146 for Endpoint Security Tools) - the vulnerability is not present.
A user is affected if a vulnerable Bitdefender product (Antivirus Plus, Internet Security, Total Security, or Endpoint Security Tools) with a version below the fixed releases is installed and BDReinit.exe is present on the system.
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 · scoped7.4.3.14626.0.3.29
Update Bitdefender Total Security, Internet Security, or Antivirus Plus to version 26.0.10.45 or later, and Endpoint Security Tools for Windows to version 7.4.3.146 or later to remediate this vulnerability.
Total Security/Internet Security/Antivirus Plus: version 26.0.10.45 or later; Endpoint Security Tools: version 7.4.3.146 or later
- Identify the exact Bitdefender product installed (Antivirus Plus, Internet Security, Total Security, or Endpoint Security Tools)
- Check the current installed version via the Bitdefender interface or system information
- Download the appropriate updated version from the official Bitdefender website (www.bitdefender.com)
- Ensure user consent and proper backup before initiating the update
- Upgrade to the fixed version: Total Security/Internet Security/Antivirus Plus to version 26.0.10.45 or later, or Endpoint Security Tools to version 7.4.3.146 or later
- Restart the system if prompted and verify the new version is installed
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-4199 — 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-2021-4199 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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