CVE-2021-40441 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

Windows Media Center Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability was published on December 15, 2021, by Microsoft.

Understanding CVE-2021-40441

This CVE identifier refers to a security vulnerability impacting various Microsoft Windows versions.

What is CVE-2021-40441?

The CVE-2021-40441 vulnerability is classified as an Elevation of Privilege issue.

The Impact of CVE-2021-40441

The vulnerability has a base severity of HIGH with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-40441

This section covers specific technical aspects of the CVE.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability allows attackers to elevate privileges on the affected systems.

Affected Systems and Versions

Below are the impacted Microsoft products and versions:

Windows 7 (32-bit Systems) version 6.1.0
Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (x64-based Systems) version 6.1.0
Windows 8.1 (32-bit, x64-based, ARM64-based Systems) version 6.3.0
Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 (x64-based Systems) version 6.1.0
Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 (Server Core) (x64-based Systems) version 6.0.0
Windows Server 2012 (x64-based Systems) version 6.2.0
Windows Server 2012 (Server Core) (x64-based Systems) version 6.2.0
Windows Server 2012 R2 (x64-based Systems) version 6.3.0
Windows Server 2012 R2 (Server Core) (x64-based Systems) version 6.3.0

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to gain elevated privileges on the affected systems.

Mitigation and Prevention

Guidelines for addressing the CVE-2021-40441 vulnerability.

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply security updates provided by Microsoft.
Restrict user privileges to minimize the impact of potential attacks.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly patch and update the systems to prevent vulnerabilities.
Implement strong access controls and least privilege principles.

Patching and Updates

Ensure that the affected systems are patched with the latest security updates.