CVE-2024-49071
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 · uneditedImproper authorization of an index that contains sensitive information from a Global Files search in Windows Defender allows an authorized attacker to disclose information over a network.
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 · moderate confidenceWindows Defender contains an improper authorization vulnerability in its Global Files search feature. The vulnerability allows an authorized attacker to access sensitive information from an index that should be protected, potentially disclosing that information over a network due to insufficient access controls on the search index.
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 dataall versionsCVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is installedOpen Windows Security app, go to Settings > About, or run 'msiexec /x {0CDAD764-76C2-4D3A-9FAC-85C32C5E5F6C}' to check for MDE installation. Alternatively, check Program Files for Microsoft Defender Endpoint folder.Affected if Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is present on the system
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Confirm the Global Files search feature is enabledCheck Windows Defender settings for index or search-related features. Review MDE configuration through the Security portal or local registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Defender\GlobalFiles. Look for entries related to search indexing or file indexing.Affected if Global Files or search indexing feature is turned on or configured
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Check for exposed network listening on search service portsRun 'netstat -an | findstr LISTENING' or use PowerShell 'Get-NetTCPConnection -State Listen' to identify ports related to Defender search services. Look for unexpected listening endpoints that could serve index data.Affected if A network service related to Defender search/index is listening and accessible beyond local system
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Review access control on Defender search index directoriesInspect file system permissions on Windows Defender or MDE index folders (typically under ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Advanced). Verify that non-admin users cannot read indexed content they should not access.Affected if Index directories grant read access to standard users or allow lateral disclosure of protected content
If Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is installed with Global Files search enabled, the environment is affected since all versions of this product contain the improper authorization vulnerability in the search index.
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 dataApply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2024-49071 to address the improper authorization in Windows Defender Global Files search. This is typically delivered through Windows Update or Microsoft Update catalog.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-49071 — 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-2024-49071 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