CVE-2021-42292
Confirmed PUBLISHEDMicrosoft Excel Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability
Recommended Action
Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.
At a Glance
Microsoft Excel Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability
- CVE Published
- Nov 10, 2021
- Exploitation Reported
- Nov 17, 2021
- CVSS
- 7.8 High
- EPSS
- —
Affected Versions
| Vendor | Product | Version | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft |
Microsoft Office 2019
|
19.0.0 to < https://aka.ms/OfficeSecurityReleases |
Affected |
| Microsoft |
Microsoft Office 2019 for Mac
|
16.0.0 to < 16.55.21111400 |
Affected |
| Microsoft |
Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise
|
16.0.1 to < https://aka.ms/OfficeSecurityReleases |
Affected |
| Microsoft |
Microsoft Office LTSC for Mac 2021
|
16.0.1 to < 16.55.21111400 |
Affected |
| Microsoft |
Microsoft Office LTSC 2021
|
16.0.1 to < https://aka.ms/OfficeSecurityReleases |
Affected |
| Microsoft |
Microsoft Excel 2016
|
16.0.0.0 to < 16.0.5239.1001 |
Affected |
| Microsoft |
Microsoft Office 2016
|
16.0.0 to < 16.0.5239.1001 |
Affected |
| Microsoft |
Microsoft Excel 2013 Service Pack 1
|
15.0.0.0 to < 15.0.5397.1001 |
Affected |
| Microsoft |
Microsoft Office 2013 Service Pack 1
|
15.0.0 to < 15.0.5397.1001 |
Affected |
CVE References
- portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-42292 portal.msrc.microsoft.com · CVE Record https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CV...
Recommended Actions
- Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.
- Check enrichment artifacts for scanner coverage and available PoCs before rolling remediation validation.
- Use the Pro API to automate enrichment, telemetry, and workflow delivery for VM, SOC, and CTI pipelines.
Known Exploited Vulnerability Sources
Catalogues that list this CVE as a known exploited vulnerability.
Per-source evidence links for KEV attestations are available through the KEVIntel Pro API.
Learn about Pro API access| Source | Added |
|---|---|
| CISA First | 2021-11-17 00:00 UTC |
No detection artifacts or sensor request patterns are available for this CVE yet.
Check back as sensor telemetry and scanner integrations are updated.
Virtual Patch
Compensating WAF rules to help reduce exposure to this CVE. Rule content and deployable vendor exports are available with KEVIntel Enterprise.
KEVIntel does not currently have a virtual patch for this CVE. When available, KEVIntel virtual patches ship as deployable ModSecurity, Cloudflare, and AWS WAF rules.
Enterprise feature. Virtual patch rule content and deployable vendor exports (ModSecurity, Cloudflare, AWS WAF) are available to KEVIntel Enterprise users.
CVSS Scores
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C
Exploitation Status
Exploited in the wild
Recorded 2021-11-17 00:00:00 UTC · CISA
Proof of concept available
Recorded 2021-11-09 12:14:45 UTC · GitHub
Potential Proof of Concepts
These PoCs are unverified and could contain malware. Use at your own risk.
github · Created 2021-11-09 12:14:45 UTC · 18 stars
A Zeek package to detect CVE-2021-42292, a Microsoft Excel local privilege escalation exploit.
Timeline
Key exploitation, disclosure, scanner coverage, and KEV attestation events for this CVE.
-
00:00 UTC over 4 years ago00:00 UTC · over 4 years ago
Added to CISA KEV
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
-
00:47 UTC over 4 years ago00:47 UTC · over 4 years ago
CVE published
Vulnerability disclosed publicly
-
12:14 UTC over 4 years ago12:14 UTC · over 4 years ago
Public PoC available
Public proof-of-concept code published
-
00:00 UTC almost 5 years ago00:00 UTC · almost 5 years ago
CVE ID reserved
Identifier reserved by the CNA
Automate This Intelligence with the Pro API
Confidence scoring, exploit status, sensor telemetry, PoCs, scanner integrations, mentions, and tags are available programmatically for VM, SOC, and CTI workflows.
Pro API Example
GET /api/v2/pro/kevs/CVE-2021-42292
{
"cve_id": "CVE-2021-42292",
"title": "Microsoft Excel Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability",
"affected_vendor": "Microsoft",
"affected_product": "Microsoft Office 2019, Microsoft Office 2019 for Mac, Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, Microsoft Office LTSC for Mac 2021, Microsoft Office LTSC 2021, Microsoft Excel 2016, Microsoft Office 2016, Microsoft Excel 2013 Service Pack 1, Microsoft Office 2013 Service Pack 1",
"affected_versions": [
{ "vendor": "...", "product": "...", "status": "affected", "display_label": "..." }
],
"confidence": "Confirmed",
"cvss_score": 7.8,
"epss_score": null,
"exploit_status": {
"exploited_in_the_wild": true,
"active_exploitation_observed": false
},
"sensor_telemetry": { "...": "Pro API fields" },
"proof_of_concepts": [ "..." ],
"scanner_integrations": [ "..." ]
}