Windows Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
Published Jul 22, 2021 · Updated Oct 23, 2026
Original summary
Normalized public record · Updated Oct 23, 2026
Windows Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
Publisher and source text is retained separately from QFinch interpretation.
QFinch assessment
An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists because of overly permissive Access Control Lists (ACLs) on multiple system files, including the Security Accounts Manager (SAM) database. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. An attacker must have the ability to execute code on a victim system to exploit this vulnerability. After installing this security update, you must manually delete all shadow copies of system files, including the SAM database, to fully mitigate this vulnerabilty. Simply installing this security update will not fully mitigate this vulnerability. See KB5005357- Delete Volume Shadow Copies.
Evidence: public source recordsAffected products
| Affected package, product or range | Fix status |
|---|---|
| Consult the referenced vendor advisory for affected versions. | Consult source advisory |
Matching a version is only one part of assessing exposure. QFinch has not assessed your environment on this public page.
Remediation
Apply the vendor-supported fixed release or mitigation, then verify the affected component is no longer reachable.
- Confirm the affected product and reachable code path exist in your environment.
- Apply the vendor-supported patch or mitigation from the primary advisory.
- Rescan the exact deployed revision and retain verification evidence.
Evidence coverage
- SSVC priority
- IMMEDIATE
- Confidence
- 80%
- Aliases
- None reported
Scores appear only when corresponding evidence exists. Missing data is never interpreted as zero risk.
Sources and record history
- Windows Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability ↗
- packetstormsecurity.com ↗
- portal.msrc.microsoft.com ↗
- www.kb.cert.org ↗
- CISA advisory ↗
Record history
Published Jul 22, 2021 · Last refreshed Oct 23, 2026