Advisory Details

November 24th, 2021

Microsoft Windows Update Assistant Link Following Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

CVE ID	CVE-2021-42297
CVSS SCORE	6.7, AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
AFFECTED VENDORS	Microsoft
AFFECTED PRODUCTS	Windows
VULNERABILITY DETAILS	This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges on affected installations of Microsoft Windows. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within Windows Update Assistant. By creating a symbolic link, an attacker can abuse the Update Assistant to delete a folder. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of SYSTEM.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS	Microsoft has issued an update to correct this vulnerability. More details can be found at: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-42297
DISCLOSURE TIMELINE	2021-10-06 - Vulnerability reported to vendor 2021-11-24 - Coordinated public release of advisory
CREDIT	Abdelhamid Naceri

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