- 5.5MediumCVSS base score
- 19.5%Exploitation in 30 daysEPSS · top 2.6% of all CVEs
- YesKnown exploitedin CISA's KEV since 3 Mar 2022
- YesPublic exploitsa reference or SSVC says so
Description
Windows Installer Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
Exploited in the wild
CISA lists this vulnerability in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog as Microsoft Windows Installer Privilege Escalation Vulnerability.
- Added
- 3 Mar 2022
- Fix due (US federal)
- 17 Mar 2022
- Used by ransomware
- Known
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
ENISA's EU Vulnerability Database lists it as exploited, from CISA's KEV, since 3 Mar 2022.
Public exploit
An exploit or proof of concept is public: anyone can try it against an unpatched system. CISA's SSVC rates its exploitation: it is being exploited.
Timeline
ID reserved
By microsoft
- 54 days later
· 54 days later
Published
- 4 months later
· 4 months later
Added to CISA KEV
Known exploited, also by ransomware
- 4 years later
· 4 years later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| microsoftCNA (assigner) | 3.1 | Medium5.5 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C |
| NVDNVD · Analyzed | 3.1 | Medium5.5 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 19.5% · top 2.6% of all CVEs (12 Nov 2026)
- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation: active · Automatable: no · Technical impact: total
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: Medium 5.5.
Affected products
Microsoft · Windows 10 Version 1507
- affected 10.0.10240.0 – < 10.0.10240.19119
Microsoft · Windows 10 Version 1607
- affected 10.0.14393.0 – < 10.0.14393.4770
Microsoft · Windows 10 Version 1809
- affected 10.0.17763.0 – < 10.0.17763.2300
Microsoft · Windows 10 Version 1809
- affected 10.0.0 – < 10.0.17763.2300
Microsoft · Windows 10 Version 1909
- affected 10.0.0 – < 10.0.18363.1916
Microsoft · Windows 10 Version 2004
- affected 10.0.0 – < 10.0.19041.1348
Microsoft · Windows 10 Version 20H2
- affected 10.0.0 – < 10.0.19042.1348
Microsoft · Windows 10 Version 21H1
- affected 10.0.0 – < 10.0.19043.1348
Microsoft · Windows 11 version 21H2
- affected 10.0.22000.0 – < 10.0.22000.318
- affected 6.1.0 – < 6.1.7601.25769
Microsoft · Windows 7 Service Pack 1
- affected 6.1.0 – < 6.1.7601.25769
- affected 6.3.0 – < 6.3.9600.20174
Microsoft · Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1
- affected 6.1.7601.0 – < 6.1.7601.25769
Microsoft · Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (Server Core installation)
- affected 6.1.7601.0 – < 6.1.7601.25769
Microsoft · Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2
- affected 6.0.6003.0 – < 6.0.6003.21282
Microsoft · Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 (Server Core installation)
- affected 6.0.6003.0 – < 6.0.6003.21282
Microsoft · Windows Server 2012
- affected 6.2.9200.0 – < 6.2.9200.23517
Microsoft · Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation)
- affected 6.2.9200.0 – < 6.2.9200.23517
Microsoft · Windows Server 2012 R2
- affected 6.3.9600.0 – < 6.3.9600.20174
Microsoft · Windows Server 2012 R2 (Server Core installation)
- affected 6.3.9600.0 – < 6.3.9600.20174
Microsoft · Windows Server 2016
- affected 10.0.14393.0 – < 10.0.14393.4770
Microsoft · Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation)
- affected 10.0.14393.0 – < 10.0.14393.4770
Microsoft · Windows Server 2019
- affected 10.0.17763.0 – < 10.0.17763.2300
Microsoft · Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation)
- affected 10.0.17763.0 – < 10.0.17763.2300
Microsoft · Windows Server 2022
- affected 10.0.20348.0 – < 10.0.20348.350
Microsoft · Windows Server version 2004
- affected 10.0.0 – < 10.0.19041.1348
Microsoft · Windows Server version 20H2
- affected 10.0.0 – < 10.0.19042.1348
References
References4
- Windows Installer Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisorypatch
- https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-41379 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-1308/ (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2021-41379 (opens in a new tab)government-resource
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- CISA KEV catalog (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- EUVD EUVD-2021-28407 (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://cveledger.app/cve/CVE-2021-41379)Record last updated .