HIGH CVSS 7.8
Published: 2021-02-10

CVE-2021-23876

mcafee total_protection Security Advisory (CVE-2021-23876)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2021-23876 impacting mcafee total_protection. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 7.8 (HIGH).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
Bypass Remote Procedure call in McAfee Total Protection (MTP) prior to 16.0.30 allows a local user to gain elevated privileges and perform arbitrary file modification as the SYSTEM user potentially causing Denial of Service via executing carefully constructed malware.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Local (AV:L)
Requires local system execution permissions
Attack Complexity
High (AC:H)
Depends on race conditions or environment
Privileges Required
Low (PR:L)
Standard user access required
User Interaction
None (UI:N)
Zero human interaction required
Scope
Changed (S:C)
Impacts components beyond caller authority
Confidentiality
High (C:H)
Total information disclosure
Integrity
High (I:H)
Total modification of target system
Availability
High (A:H)
Total denial of service or shutdown

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product mcafee / total_protection
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration CWE-269

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2021-23876 impacting mcafee total_protection.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2021-23876.yaml
id: cve-2021-23876

info:
  name: mcafee total_protection - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: high
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2021-23876 affecting mcafee total_protection.
    Evaluation: Bypass Remote Procedure call in McAfee Total Protection (MTP) prior to 16.0.30 allows a local user to gain elevated privileges and perform arbitrary f...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2021-23876
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
    cvss-score: 7.8
    cve-id: CVE-2021-23876
    cwe-id: CWE-269
  tags: cve,cve-2021-23876,mcafee,total_protection,high

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "total_protection"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2021-23876.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2021-23876
# Target: mcafee total_protection | CVSS: 7.8 (HIGH)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2021-23876 (mcafee total_protection)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against mcafee total_protection scope (*).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
🛡️ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2021-23876.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2021-23876
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install total_protection 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade total_protection 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update total_protection

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i total_protection 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i total_protection

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

🛡️ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

🔗 Verified Technical References

Authorities
  • No records filed in this category.
Distributions
  • No records filed in this category.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2021-23876 in mcafee total_protection?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update mcafee total_protection packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2021-23876?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2021-23876?

CVE-2021-23876 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 7.8 (HIGH). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
7.8
HIGH SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2021-23876
Weakness CWE-269
Vendor mcafee
Product total_protection
Published 2021-02-10
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H