CVE-2021-41379
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 r2
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HSummary
CVE-2021-41379 is a medium-severity Link Following (CWE-59) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Server 2008. Its CVSS base score is 5.5 (Medium).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Path Interception (T1034); ranked in the top 3% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2021-41379 is an elevation of privilege vulnerability in the Windows Installer component, tracked under CWE-59 for improper link resolution before file access. It received a CVSS 3.1 score of 5.5 with a vector indicating local attack vector, low attack complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, and high availability impact.
A local attacker with low privileges can exploit the flaw to elevate privileges and achieve high impact on system availability. The vulnerability affects Windows systems running the Installer service and can be triggered without additional user interaction once local access is obtained.
Microsoft security advisories recommend applying the patches referenced in the CVE entry to address the issue. The vulnerability is also catalogued by CISA as actively exploited in the wild, confirming real-world use beyond proof-of-concept reporting from sources such as Zero Day Initiative.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2021-28407
Vulnerability Data
Windows Installer Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
- CWE(s)
- KEV Date Added
- 03 March 2022
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V15.4.2
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure SDLC practices directly require code to validate paths and avoid unsafe link following.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing can detect link-following flaws before release.
Secure SDLC practices can mandate link-resolution checks and canonicalization before file access.
Application security requirements can explicitly require safe handling of symbolic links and path traversal.
Secure architecture principles include input validation and safe file-access design patterns.
Secure coding standards directly address canonicalization and symlink attacks during implementation.
Access-control rules can limit which files are reachable, reducing exposure to malicious links.