HIGH CVSS 7.3
Published: 2021-02-10

CVE-2021-23878

mcafee endpoint_security Security Advisory (CVE-2021-23878)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2021-23878 impacting mcafee endpoint_security. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 7.3 (HIGH).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
Clear text storage of sensitive Information in memory vulnerability in McAfee Endpoint Security (ENS) for Windows prior to 10.7.0 February 2021 Update allows a local user to view ENS settings and credentials via accessing process memory after the ENS administrator has performed specific actions. To exploit this, the local user has to access the relevant memory location immediately after an ENS administrator has made a configuration change through the console on their machine

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Local (AV:L)
Requires local system execution permissions
Attack Complexity
Low (AC:L)
No specialized conditions required
Privileges Required
Low (PR:L)
Standard user access required
User Interaction
Required (UI:R)
User must click or open resource
Scope
Unchanged (S:U)
Confined to same security context
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 / endpoint_security
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration CWE-312

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-2021-23878 impacting mcafee endpoint_security.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2021-23878.yaml
id: cve-2021-23878

info:
  name: mcafee endpoint_security - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: high
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2021-23878 affecting mcafee endpoint_security.
    Evaluation: Clear text storage of sensitive Information in memory vulnerability in McAfee Endpoint Security (ENS) for Windows prior to 10.7.0 February 2021 Update...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2021-23878
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
    cvss-score: 7.3
    cve-id: CVE-2021-23878
    cwe-id: CWE-312
  tags: cve,cve-2021-23878,mcafee,endpoint_security,high

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "endpoint_security"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2021-23878.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2021-23878
# Target: mcafee endpoint_security | CVSS: 7.3 (HIGH)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2021-23878 (mcafee endpoint_security)...")
    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 endpoint_security 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-2021-23878.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2021-23878
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install endpoint_security 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade endpoint_security 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update endpoint_security

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

# 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-2021-23878 in mcafee endpoint_security?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update mcafee endpoint_security 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-2021-23878?

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-2021-23878?

CVE-2021-23878 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 7.3 (HIGH). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
7.3
HIGH SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2021-23878
Weakness CWE-312
Vendor mcafee
Product endpoint_security
Published 2021-02-10
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H