CVE-2021-31853
MDE DLL Search Order Hijacking vulnerability
DLL Search Order Hijacking Vulnerability in McAfee Drive Encryption (MDE) prior to 7.3.0 HF2 (7.3.0.183) allows local users to execute arbitrary code and escalate privileges via execution from a compromised folder.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- Low
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
MDE DLL Search Order Hijacking vulnerability
DLL Search Order Hijacking Vulnerability in McAfee Drive Encryption (MDE) prior to 7.3.0 HF2 (7.3.0.183) allows local users to execute arbitrary code and escalate privileges via execution from a compromised folder.
- Record
CVE-2021-31853- CVSS 3.1
- 7.8 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-427
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2021-18728
DLL Search Order Hijacking Vulnerability in McAfee Drive Encryption (MDE) prior to 7.3.0 HF2 (7.3.0.183) allows local users to execute arbitrary code and escalate privileges via execution from a compromised folder.
- Record
EUVD-2021-18728- CVSS 3.1
- 7.8 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-f925-j45v-vqqp
DLL Search Order Hijacking Vulnerability in McAfee Drive Encryption (MDE) prior to 7.3.0 HF2 (7.3...
DLL Search Order Hijacking Vulnerability in McAfee Drive Encryption (MDE) prior to 7.3.0 HF2 (7.3.0.183) allows local users to execute arbitrary code and escalate privileges via execution from a compromised folder.
- Record
GHSA-f925-j45v-vqqp- CVSS 3.1
- 7.8 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-427
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
DLL Search Order Hijacking Vulnerability in McAfee Drive Encryption (MDE) prior to 7.3.0 HF2 (7.3.0.183) allows local users to execute arbitrary code and escalate privileges via execution from a compromised folder.
- Record
CVE-2021-31853- CVSS 3.1
- 7.8 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 4.6 Medium
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P - Weakness
- CWE-427
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2021-31853 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.8) in Mcafee Drive Encryption, published November 10, 2021. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.20%, the 9th percentile. No source names a fixed version.