CVE-2021-31979
published 2021-07-14CVE-2021-31979: Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
PriorityP181high7.8CVSS 3.1
AVLACLPRLUINSUCHIHAH
KEVITW
CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilitydue 2021-11-17
Exploited in the wild
EPSS
2.63%
83.8th percentile
Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
Affected
48 ranges· showing 25
| Vendor | Product | Version range | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| microsoft | windows_10_1507 | < 10.0.10240.19003 | 10.0.10240.19003 |
| microsoft | windows_10_1607 | < 10.0.14393.4530 | 10.0.14393.4530 |
| microsoft | windows_10_1809 | < 10.0.17763.2061 | 10.0.17763.2061 |
| microsoft | windows_10_1909 | < 10.0.18363.1679 | 10.0.18363.1679 |
| microsoft | windows_10_2004 | < 10.0.19041.1110 | 10.0.19041.1110 |
| microsoft | windows_10_20h2 | < 10.0.19042.1110 | 10.0.19042.1110 |
| microsoft | windows_10_21h1 | < 10.0.19043.1110 | 10.0.19043.1110 |
| microsoft | windows_10_version_1507 | >= 10.0.0 < 10.0.10240.19003 | 10.0.10240.19003 |
| microsoft | windows_10_version_1607 | >= 10.0.0 < 10.0.14393.4530 | 10.0.14393.4530 |
| microsoft | windows_10_version_1809 | >= 10.0.0 < 10.0.17763.2061 | 10.0.17763.2061 |
| microsoft | windows_10_version_1909 | >= 10.0.0 < 10.0.18363.1679 | 10.0.18363.1679 |
| microsoft | windows_10_version_2004 | >= 10.0.0 < 10.0.19041.1110 | 10.0.19041.1110 |
| microsoft | windows_10_version_20h2 | >= 10.0.0 < 10.0.19042.1110 | 10.0.19042.1110 |
| microsoft | windows_10_version_21h1 | >= 10.0.0 < 10.0.19043.1110 | 10.0.19043.1110 |
| microsoft | windows_7 | >= 6.1.0 < 6.1.7601.25661 | 6.1.7601.25661 |
| microsoft | windows_7_service_pack_1 | >= 6.1.0 < 6.1.7601.25661 | 6.1.7601.25661 |
| microsoft | windows_8.1 | >= 6.3.0 < 6.3.9600.20069 | 6.3.9600.20069 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2004 | < 10.0.19041.1110 | 10.0.19041.1110 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2008 | — | — |
| microsoft | windows_server_2008_r2_service_pack_1 | >= 6.0.0 < 6.1.7601.25661 | 6.1.7601.25661 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2008_r2_service_pack_1 | >= 6.1.0 < 6.1.7601.25661 | 6.1.7601.25661 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2008_service_pack_2 | >= 6.0.0 < 6.0.6003.21167 | 6.0.6003.21167 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2012 | — | — |
| microsoft | windows_server_2012 | >= 6.2.0 < 6.2.9200.23409 | 6.2.9200.23409 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2012_r2 | >= 6.3.0 < 6.3.9600.20069 | 6.3.9600.20069 |
Detection & IOCsextracted from sources · hover to see the quote
- →CVE-2021-31979 is a Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege vulnerability that has been actively exploited in the wild, including by Candiru spyware targeting human rights defenders, dissidents, journalists, activists, and politicians. ↗
- →Exploitation of CVE-2021-31979 has been confirmed in the wild across both latest and older software releases; treat any unpatched Windows Kernel process anomalies (unexpected privilege escalation) as high-priority indicators. ↗
CVSS provenance
nvdv3.17.8HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvdv2.07.2HIGHAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
vulncheck7.8HIGH
cisa7.8HIGH
vendor_msrc7.8HIGH
CVEs like this are exactly what “Exploited This Week” covers.
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GHSA
GHSA-7pqx-crh9-hcp7: Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2021-31979, CVE-2021-33771
ghsa_unreviewed·2022-05-24·CVSS 7.8
CVE-2021-34514 [HIGH] CWE-269 GHSA-7pqx-crh9-hcp7: Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2021-31979, CVE-2021-33771
Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2021-31979, CVE-2021-33771.
GHSA
GHSA-jv37-xg37-jxgp: Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2021-31979, CVE-2021-34514
ghsa_unreviewed·2022-05-24·CVSS 7.8
CVE-2021-33771 [HIGH] CWE-119 GHSA-jv37-xg37-jxgp: Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2021-31979, CVE-2021-34514
Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2021-31979, CVE-2021-34514.
GHSA
GHSA-rhcm-c7c7-5wq8: Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2021-33771, CVE-2021-34514
ghsa_unreviewed·2022-05-24·CVSS 7.8
CVE-2021-31979 [HIGH] CWE-119 GHSA-rhcm-c7c7-5wq8: Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2021-33771, CVE-2021-34514
Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2021-33771, CVE-2021-34514.
Project0
The More You Know, The More You Know You Don’t Know - Project Zero
project_zero·2022-04-01
CVE-2016-4654 The More You Know, The More You Know You Don’t Know - Project Zero
A Year in Review of 0-days Used In-the-Wild in 2021
Posted by Maddie Stone, Google Project Zero
This is our third annual year in review of 0-days exploited in-the-wild [2020, 2019]. Each year we’ve looked back at all of the detected and disclosed in-the-wild 0-days as a group and synthesized what we think the trends and takeaways are. The goal of this report is not to detail each individual exploit, but instead to analyze the exploits from the year as a group, looking for trends, gaps, lessons learned, successes, etc. If you’re interested in the analysis of individual exploits, please check out our root cause analysis repository.
We perform and share this analysis in order to make 0-day hard. We want it to be more costly, more resource intensive, and overall more difficult for
VulnCheck
Microsoft Windows Kernel Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
vulncheck·2021·CVSS 7.8
CVE-2021-31979 [HIGH] CWE-119 Microsoft Windows Kernel Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
Microsoft Windows Kernel Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
Microsoft Windows kernel contains an unspecified vulnerability that allows for privilege escalation.
Affected: Microsoft Windows
Required Action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Exploitation References: https://api.msrc.microsoft.com/cvrf/v3.0/cvrf/2021-Jul; https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lkNJ0uQwbeC1ZTRrxdtuPLCIl7mlUreoKfSIgajnSyY/edit; https://citizenlab.ca/2021/07/hooking-candiru-another-mercenary-spyware-vendor-comes-into-focus/; https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2021/07/15/protecting-customers-from-a-private-sector-offensive-actor-using-0-day-exploits-and-devilstongue-malware/; https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/feeds/known_exploited_vulnerabilities.json; https://storage.googleapis.com/gweb-uni
CISA
Microsoft Windows Kernel Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
cisa·2021-11-03·CVSS 7.8
CVE-2021-31979 [HIGH] CWE-119 Microsoft Windows Kernel Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
Vulnerability: Microsoft Windows Kernel Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
Affected: Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows kernel contains an unspecified vulnerability that allows for privilege escalation.
Required Action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Notes: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-31979
Remediation Due Date: 2021-11-17
Microsoft
Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
vendor_msrc·2021-07-13·CVSS 7.8
CVE-2021-31979 [HIGH] Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
Windows Kernel: Windows Kernel
Microsoft: Microsoft
Impact: Elevation of Privilege
Exploit Status: Publicly Disclosed:No;Exploited:Yes;Latest Software Release:Exploitation Detected;Older Software Release:Exploitation Detected;DOS:N/A
Reference: https://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/Search.aspx?q=KB5004244
Reference: https://support.microsoft.com/help/5004244
Reference: https://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/Search.aspx?q=KB5004245
Reference: https://support.microsoft.com/help/5004245
Reference: https://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/Search.aspx?q=KB5004237
Reference: https://support.microsoft.com/help/5004237
Reference: https://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/Search.aspx?q=KB5004249
Reference: https://c
No detection rules found.
No public exploits indexed.
Qualys
Managing CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities with Qualys VMDR | Qualys
blogs_qualys·2022-02-23
Managing CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities with Qualys VMDR | Qualys
#### Table of Contents
- Situation
- Directive Scope
- CISA Catalog of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
- Detect CISA Vulnerabilities Using Qualys VMDR
- CISA Exploited RTI
- Detailed Operational Dashboard
- Remediation
- Federal Enterprises and Agencies Can Act Now
- Summary
- Getting Started
CISA released a directive in November 2021, recommending urgent and prioritized remediation of actively exploited vulnerabilities. Both government agencies and corporations should heed this advice. This blog outlines how Qualys Vulnerability Management, Detection & Response can be used by any organization to respond to this directive efficiently and effectively.
## Situation
Last November 2021, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a Binding Operational Directiv
Qualys
Qualys Response to CISA Alert: Binding Operational Directive 22-01
blogs_qualys·2021-11-09
Qualys Response to CISA Alert: Binding Operational Directive 22-01
## Table of Contents
Overview
Directive Scope
CISA Catalog of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
Detect CISAs Vulnerabilities Using Qualys VMDR
Remediation
Federal Enterprises and Agencies Can Act Now
Summary
Getting Started
Start your VMDR 30-day, no-cost trial today
## Overview
On November 3, 2021, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a Binding Operational Directive 22-01 , “Reducing the Significant Risk of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities.” This directive recommends urgent and prioritized remediation of the vulnerabilities that adversaries are actively exploiting. It establishes a CISA-managed catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities that carry significant risk to the federal government and establishes requirements for agencies to remediate
Qualys
Qualys Response to CISA Alert: Binding Operational Directive 22-01 | Qualys
blogs_qualys·2021-11-09
Qualys Response to CISA Alert: Binding Operational Directive 22-01 | Qualys
#### Table of Contents
- Overview
- Directive Scope
- CISA Catalog of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
- Detect CISAs Vulnerabilities Using Qualys VMDR
- Remediation
- Federal Enterprises and Agencies Can Act Now
- Summary
- Getting Started
Start your VMDR 30-day, no-cost trial today
## Overview
On November 3, 2021, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a Binding Operational Directive 22-01, “Reducing the Significant Risk of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities.” This directive recommends urgent and prioritized remediation of the vulnerabilities that adversaries are actively exploiting. It establishes a CISA-managed catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities that carry significant risk to the federal government and establishes requirements for agencies to
Talos
Microsoft Patch Tuesday for July 2021 — Snort rules and prominent vulnerabilities
blogs_talos·2021-07-13·CVSS 6.8
[MEDIUM] Microsoft Patch Tuesday for July 2021 — Snort rules and prominent vulnerabilities
By Jon Munshaw, with contributions from Jaeson Schultz.
Microsoft released its monthly security update Tuesday, disclosing 117 vulnerabilities across its suite of products, by far the most in a month this year. Today’s Patch Tuesday includes three vulnerabilities that Microsoft states are being exploited in the wild, which we will cover in more detail.
There are 13 critical vulnerabilities patched in this month, and there is one low- and moderate-severity vulnerability each. The remainder are considered “important.”
Most notably, Microsoft has released an update to patch the “PrintNightmare” vulnerability in its print spooler function that could allow an attacker to execute remote code. This vulnerability was first disclosed in April, though security researchers later discovered it coul
Qualys
Microsoft and Adobe Patch Tuesday (July 2021) – Microsoft 117 Vulnerabilities with 13 Critical, Adobe 26 Vulnerabilities | Qualys
blogs_qualys·2021-07-13·CVSS 7.8
CVE-2021-34448 [HIGH] Microsoft and Adobe Patch Tuesday (July 2021) – Microsoft 117 Vulnerabilities with 13 Critical, Adobe 26 Vulnerabilities | Qualys
### Microsoft Patch Tuesday – July 2021
Microsoft patched 117 vulnerabilities in their July 2021 Patch Tuesday release, and 13 of them are rated as critical severity.
### Critical Microsoft Vulnerabilities Patched
CVE-2021-34448 – Scripting Engine Memory Corruption Vulnerability
This is being actively exploited. The vulnerability allows an attacker to execute malicious code on a compromised website if a user browses to a specially crafted file on the website. The vendor has assigned a CVSSv3 base score of 6.8 and should be prioritized for patching.
CVE-2021-34494 – Windows DNS Server Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
Microsoft released patches addressing a critical RCE vulnerability in Windows DNS Server (CVE-2021-34494). This CVE has a high likelihood of exploitability and is assi
Tenable
Microsoft’s July 2021 Patch Tuesday Includes 116 CVEs (CVE-2021-31979, CVE-2021-33771)
blogs_tenable·2021-07-13·CVSS 7.8
[HIGH] Microsoft’s July 2021 Patch Tuesday Includes 116 CVEs (CVE-2021-31979, CVE-2021-33771)
## Cloud Exposure
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Talos
Microsoft Patch Tuesday for July 2021 — Snort rules and prominent vulnerabilities
blogs_talos·2021-07-13·CVSS 6.8
[MEDIUM] Microsoft Patch Tuesday for July 2021 — Snort rules and prominent vulnerabilities
## Microsoft Patch Tuesday for July 2021 — Snort rules and prominent vulnerabilities
By Jon Munshaw, with contributions from Jaeson Schultz.
Microsoft released its monthly security update Tuesday, disclosing 117 vulnerabilities across its suite of products, by far the most in a month this year. Today’s Patch Tuesday includes three vulnerabilities that Microsoft states are being exploited in the wild, which we will cover in more detail.
There are 13 critical vulnerabilities patched in this month, and there is one low- and moderate-severity vulnerability each. The remainder are considered “important.”
Most notably, Microsoft has released an update to patch the “PrintNightmare” vulnerability in its print spooler function that could allow an attacker to execute remote code. This vulnerabil
Qualys
Microsoft and Adobe Patch Tuesday (July 2021) – Microsoft 117 Vulnerabilities with 13 Critical, Adobe 26 Vulnerabilities
blogs_qualys·2021-07-13·CVSS 7.8
CVE-2021-34448 [HIGH] Microsoft and Adobe Patch Tuesday (July 2021) – Microsoft 117 Vulnerabilities with 13 Critical, Adobe 26 Vulnerabilities
## Microsoft Patch Tuesday – July 2021
Microsoft patched 117 vulnerabilities in their July 2021 Patch Tuesday release, and 13 of them are rated as critical severity.
## Critical Microsoft Vulnerabilities Patched
CVE-2021-34448 – Scripting Engine Memory Corruption Vulnerability
This is being actively exploited. The vulnerability allows an attacker to execute malicious code on a compromised website if a user browses to a specially crafted file on the website. The vendor has assigned a CVSSv3 base score of 6.8 and should be prioritized for patching.
CVE-2021-34494 – Windows DNS Server Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
Microsoft released patches addressing a critical RCE vulnerability in Windows DNS Server (CVE-2021-34494). This CVE has a high likelihood of exploitability and is assign
Krebs
Microsoft Patch Tuesday, July 2021 Edition
blogs_krebs·2021-07-13·CVSS 7.8
[HIGH] Microsoft Patch Tuesday, July 2021 Edition
Microsoft today released updates to patch at least 116 security holes in its Windows operating systems and related software. At least four of the vulnerabilities addressed today are under active attack, according to Microsoft.
Thirteen of the security bugs quashed in this month’s release earned Microsoft’s most-dire “critical” rating, meaning they can be exploited by malware or miscreants to seize remote control over a vulnerable system without any help from users.
Another 103 of the security holes patched this month were flagged as “important,” which Microsoft assigns to vulnerabilities “whose exploitation could result in compromise of the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of user data, or of the integrity or availability of processing resources.”
Among the critical bugs is o
Krebs
Microsoft Patch Tuesday, July 2021 Edition
blogs_krebs·2021-07-13·CVSS 7.8
[HIGH] Microsoft Patch Tuesday, July 2021 Edition
Microsoft today released updates to patch at least 116 security holes in its Windows operating systems and related software. At least four of the vulnerabilities addressed today are under active attack, according to Microsoft.
Thirteen of the security bugs quashed in this month’s release earned Microsoft’s most-dire “critical” rating, meaning they can be exploited by malware or miscreants to seize remote control over a vulnerable system without any help from users.
Another 103 of the security holes patched this month were flagged as “important,” which Microsoft assigns to vulnerabilities “whose exploitation could result in compromise of the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of user data, or of the integrity or availability of processing resources.”
Among the critical bugs is o
Schneier
Candiru: Another Cyberweapons Arms Manufacturer - Schneier on Security
blogs_schneier·2021-07-01·CVSS 7.8
[HIGH] Candiru: Another Cyberweapons Arms Manufacturer - Schneier on Security
## Candiru: Another Cyberweapons Arms Manufacturer
Citizen Lab has identified yet another Israeli company that sells spyware to governments around the world: Candiru.
From the report :
Summary:
Candiru is a secretive Israel-based company that sells spyware exclusively to governments. Reportedly, their spyware can infect and monitor iPhones, Androids, Macs, PCs, and cloud accounts.
Using Internet scanning we identified more than 750 websites linked to Candiru’s spyware infrastructure. We found many domains masquerading as advocacy organizations such as Amnesty International, the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as media companies, and other civil-society themed entities.
We identified a politically active victim in Western Europe and recovered a copy of Candiru’s Windows spyware.
Zscaler
Zscaler found Windows vulnerabilities | 07-13-2021
blogs_zscaler·CVSS 7.8
[HIGH] Zscaler found Windows vulnerabilities | 07-13-2021
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Crowdstrike
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blogs_crowdstrike·CVSS 7.5
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Crowdstrike
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blogs_crowdstrike·CVSS 7.5
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STARDUST CHOLLIMA Likely Compromises Axios npm Package Apr 01, 2026
Falcon for IT Supports Windows Secure Boot Certificate Lifecycle Management Apr 01, 2026
Detecting CVE-2026-20929: Kerberos Authentication Relay via CNAME Abuse Mar 31, 2026
How Charlotte AI AgentWorks Fuels Security's Agentic Ecosystem Mar 25, 2026
STARDUST CHOLLIMA Likely Compromises Axios npm Package Apr 01, 2026
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Helping Non-Security Stakeholders Understand ATT&CK in 10 Minutes or Less [VI
2021-07-14
Published
2021-11-03
Added to CISA KEV
Exploited in the wild