CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2021-23879 — Mcafee Endpoint Product Removal Tool security vulnerability

High CVSS 7.2

Unquoted service path vulnerability in McAfee Endpoint Product Removal (EPR) Tool prior to 21.2 allows local administrators to execute arbitrary code, with higher-level privileges, via execution from a compromised folder. The tool did not enforce and protect the execution path. Local admin privileges are required to place the files in the required location.

Severity
High
CVSS
7.2 (2.0)
Published
2021-03-15
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
software/application
Weaknesses
CWE-428

Affected products

  • mcafee / endpoint_product_removal_tool

Matched remediation archetype

Command, code, expression, and template injection

This catalog composition supplies bounded fallback guidance. Explicitly reviewed curated workflows load with the complete record below.

Check exposure

  • Trace untrusted values to process execution, interpreters, evaluators, template engines, dynamic imports, and administrative scripting features.
  • Determine whether the affected path is reachable across each trust boundary and which service account or host privilege it inherits.
  • Review configuration for optional execution features, unsafe compatibility modes, and shell invocation.

Remediate safely

  • Replace string-built commands or evaluated code with fixed operations and structured argument APIs that do not invoke a shell.
  • Use strict allowlists for operation identifiers and reject unexpected input before it reaches any interpreter.
  • Update the affected component and add inert regression tests covering metacharacters, encoding variants, and alternate request paths.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

The detailed catalog view below loads this exact record, its source evidence, and the full seven-phase agentic change plan.