# CVE-2021-31839: Incorrect permissions on McAfee Agent for Windows event folder

> A local user can modify or delete event logs in the McAfee Agent folder, bypassing security monitoring and altering audit trails.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 10 Jun 2021
- **Updated:** 3 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-gr8f-frhq-4h8r

## What is CVE-2021-31839?

CVE-2021-31839 is a medium-severity vulnerability in McAfee,LLC McAfee Agent for Windows, published on 10 Jun 2021. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Improper privilege management vulnerability in McAfee Agent for Windows prior to 5.7.3 allows a local user to modify event information in the MA event folder. This allows a local user to either add false events or remove events from the event logs prior to them being sent to the ePO server.

Weakness: CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-31839?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Mcafee Agent.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-31839?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-31839 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-31839 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-31839 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in McAfee,LLC McAfee Agent for Windows

- [CVE-2018-6703](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-6703/): Remote Logging functionality had a use after free vulnerability in McAfee Agent (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2022-1258](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-1258/): SQL injection vulnerability in McAfee Agent's ePO extension (high 8.4)
- [CVE-2022-2313](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-2313/): DLL high jacking in Trellix Agent (high 8.2)
- [CVE-2021-31847](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-31847/): Improper privilege management in repair process of MA for Windows (high 8.2)
- [CVE-2022-1256](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-1256/): Improper Privilege Management in McAfee Agent for Windows (high 7.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-31839 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-31839 is a medium-severity vulnerability in McAfee,LLC McAfee Agent for Windows, published on 10 Jun 2021. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-31839 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: McAfee,LLC McAfee Agent for Windows. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-31839/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-31839/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-31839
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-31839
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-31839

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-31839/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.