CVE-2021-44903
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 · uneditedMicro-Star International (MSI) Center Pro <= 2.0.16.0 is vulnerable to multiple Privilege Escalation (LPE/EoP) vulnerabilities in the atidgllk.sys, atillk64.sys, MODAPI.sys, NTIOLib.sys, NTIOLib_X64.sys, WinRing0.sys, WinRing0x64.sys drivers components. All the vulnerabilities are triggered by sending specific IOCTL 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 confidenceMultiple Windows kernel drivers (atidgllk.sys, atillk64.sys, MODAPI.sys, NTIOLib.sys, NTIOLib_X64.sys, WinRing0.sys, WinRing0x64.sys) shipped with MSI Center Pro <= 2.0.16.0 expose insecure IOCTL handlers that allow unprivileged local users to send specific IOCTL codes and escalate privileges to SYSTEM level by exploiting improper access control in the driver communication interface.
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<= 2.0.16.0CVSS 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.
-
Check if MSI Center Pro is installedOpen Programs and Features (appwiz.cpl) or check the registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\ for an entry named 'MSI Center Pro' and note the version displayedAffected if The installed version is 2.0.16.0 or lower, or the version cannot be determined but the software is present
-
Locate vulnerable kernel driver filesSearch the system for the following files: atidgllk.sys, atillk64.sys, MODAPI.sys, NTIOLib.sys, NTIOLib_X64.sys, WinRing0.sys, WinRing0x64.sys. Common locations include C:\Windows\System32\drivers\ and C:\Program Files\MSI\Affected if Any of these driver files exist on the system
-
Check if vulnerable drivers are loadedOpen an elevated command prompt and run 'sc query' for each driver (e.g., sc query WinRing0) or use 'driverquery /v' to list loaded drivers and look for the vulnerable driver names in the outputAffected if Any of the vulnerable drivers show a STATE of RUNNING or any active service status
-
Verify driver file versionsRight-click each found driver file, select Properties, and inspect the Details tab for File Version and Product Version. Alternatively, use PowerShell: (Get-Item 'C:\Path\To\Driver.sys').VersionInfoAffected if The driver file versions correspond to MSI Center Pro <= 2.0.16.0 or cannot be determined but the file is present
A system is affected if MSI Center Pro version 2.0.16.0 or lower is installed, or if any of the seven listed kernel driver files exist on the system regardless of loaded status.
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 dataUninstall MSI Center Pro if not required, or remove/disable the vulnerable kernel drivers (atidgllk.sys, atillk64.sys, MODAPI.sys, NTIOLib.sys, NTIOLib_X64.sys, WinRing0.sys, WinRing0x64.sys) from the system if the software functionality is needed; monitor for vendor patches for the software.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $3,168.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-44903 — 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-2021-44903 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