CVE-2021-4480
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 · uneditedDräger Protector Software prior to version 6.4.2 contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability due to insecure file system permissions that allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. Attackers can replace binaries or loaded modules on the host system to execute code with NT SYSTEM privileges.
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 confidenceDräger Protector Software versions prior to 6.4.2 have insecure file system permissions on the installation directory, allowing local attackers to modify or replace executable binaries and DLLs. Since the software runs with NT SYSTEM privileges, a local user can inject malicious code by overwriting these files and execute with highest-level Windows privileges.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:N/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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Verify Dräger Protector Software is installedCheck Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for Dräger Protector entry, or look for the software in Add/Remove ProgramsAffected if The software is found installed on the system
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Determine installed versionLocate the installation directory (typically under C:\Program Files\Dräger or C:\Program Files (x86)\Dräger) and check the version info of the main executable, or query the registry uninstall key for the version stringAffected if Installed version is lower than 6.4.2 or version cannot be determined
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Identify executable and module locationsIn the Dräger Protector installation directory, list all .exe, .dll, and other binary files that the application loads or executesAffected if Executable or module files exist in a world-writable location or directory with weak permissions
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Check file system permissions on binariesUse icacls or Get-Acl PowerShell cmdlet to inspect permissions on each binary in the Dräger Protector installation folder. Look for grant entries allowing Write or Modify access to non-admin users or the Users groupAffected if Any executable, DLL, or loaded module grants Write or Modify permissions to standard users or non-privileged accounts
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Check for replaceable binaries in service pathsExamine the service configuration using sc qc or Get-Service to see if Dräger Protector runs as a Windows service, then verify the binary path and any dependent DLLs are not writable by low-privilege usersAffected if The service runs with elevated privileges (NT SYSTEM) and its binaries are writable by non-admin users
User is affected if Dräger Protector Software is installed with a version prior to 6.4.2 AND file system permissions on binaries or loaded modules allow modification by non-privileged local users.
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.
From vendor dataUpgrade Dräger Protector Software to version 6.4.2 or later. As a compensating control, review and restrict file system permissions on the software installation directory to prevent unauthorized modification by non-admin users.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-4480 — 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-2021-4480 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data