CVE-2021-31850: Security Bulletin - Database Security on Windows update fixes Denial of Service vulnerability (CVE-2021-31850)

First Published: December 7, 2021

Product:

Impacted Versions:

CVE ID:

Impact of Vulnerabilities:

Severity Ratings:

CVSS v3.1
Base/Temporal Scores:

Database Security on Windows

4.8.3 and earlier

CVE-2021-31850

CWE-552: Files or Directories Accessible to External Parties

Medium

6.1 / 5.5

Recommendations:

Install or update to Database Security 4.8.4

Security Bulletin Replacement:

None

Location of updated software:

Product Downloads site

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Article contents:

• Vulnerability Description
• Remediation
• Acknowledgments
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Resources
• Disclaimer

Vulnerability Description
CVE-2021-31850
A denial-of-service vulnerability in Database Security (DBS) prior to 4.8.4 allows a remote authenticated administrator to trigger a denial-of-service attack against the DBS server. The configuration of Archiving through the User interface incorrectly allowed the creation of directories and files in Windows system directories and other locations where sensitive data could be overwritten. The former could lead to a DoS, whilst the latter could lead to data destruction on the DBS server.
NIST CVE-2021-31850
MITRE CVE-2021-31850
Remediation
To remediate this issue, customers using Database Security on Windows 4.8.3 or earlier should update to version 4.8.4 or later.

Go to the Product Downloads site, and download the applicable product update file:

Product

Version

Type

File Name

Release Date

Database Security

4.8.4

Update

Windows: McAfee-DBS-Server-installer-4.6.4-54742.exe

December 7, 2021

NOTE: Database Security on Linux 4.8.4 was released at the same time as Database Security on Windows and is not impacted by this vulnerability.

Download and Installation Instructions
For instructions to download product updates and hotfixes, see: KB56057 - How to download Enterprise product updates and documentation. Review the Release Notes and the Installation Guide for instructions on how to install these updates. All documentation is available at our Product Documentation site.
Acknowledgments
McAfee Enterprise credits Jokubas Arsoba (ikth) working with Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative for responsibly reporting this flaw.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do I know if my product is vulnerable or not?

For endpoint products:

Use the following instructions for endpoint or client-based products:

1. Right-click the McAfee tray shield icon on the Windows taskbar.
2. Select Open Console.
3. In the console, select Action Menu.
4. In the Action Menu, select Product Details. The product version displays.

For Appliances:

Use the following instructions for Appliance-based products:

1. Open the Administrator’s User Interface (UI).
2. Click the About link. The product version displays.

What is CVSS?
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) is the result of the National Infrastructure Advisory Council’s effort to standardize a system of assessing the criticality of a vulnerability. This system offers an unbiased criticality score between 0 and 10 that customers can use to judge how critical a vulnerability is and plan accordingly. For more information, visit the CVSS website.

When calculating CVSS scores, McAfee Enterprise has adopted a philosophy that fosters consistency and repeatability. Our guiding principle for CVSS scoring is to score the exploit under consideration by itself. We consider only the immediate and direct impact of the exploit under consideration. We don’t factor into a score any potential follow-on exploits that might be made possible by the successful exploitation of the issue being scored.

What are the CVSS scoring metrics?

CVE-2021-31850: Denial of Service in Database Security on Windows

Base Score

6.1

Attack Vector (AV)

Network (N)

Attack Complexity (AC)

Low (L)

Privileges Required (PR)

High (H)

User Interaction (UI)

Required ®

Scope (S)

Unchanged (U)

Confidentiality ©

None (N)

Integrity (I)

High (H)

Availability (A)

High (H)

Temporal Score (Overall)

5.5

Exploitability (E)

Proof-of-Concept §

Remediation Level (RL)

Official Fix (O)

Report Confidence (RC)

Reasonable ®

NOTE: This CVSS version 3.1 vector was used to generate this score.

Where can I find a list of all Security Bulletins?
All Security Bulletins are published on our external PSIRT website. To see Security Bulletins for McAfee Enterprise products on this website, click Enterprise Security Bulletins. Security Bulletins are retired (removed) once a product is both End of Sale and End of Support (End of Life).

How do I report a product vulnerability to McAfee Enterprise?
If you have information about a security issue or vulnerability with a McAfee Enterprise product, go to the PSIRT website, click Report a Security Vulnerability, and follow the instructions.

How does McAfee Enterprise respond to this and any other reported security flaws?
Our key priority is the security of our customers. If a vulnerability is found within any McAfee Enterprise software or services, we work closely with the relevant security software development team to ensure the rapid and effective development of a fix and communication plan.

McAfee Enterprise only publishes Security Bulletins if they include something actionable such as a workaround, mitigation, version update, or hotfix. Otherwise, we would simply be informing the hacker community that our products are a target, putting our customers at greater risk. For products that are updated automatically, a non-actionable Security Bulletin might be published to acknowledge the discoverer.

View our PSIRT policy on the PSIRT website by clicking About PSIRT.
Resources

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Disclaimer
The information provided in this Security Bulletin is provided as is without warranty of any kind. McAfee Enterprise disclaims all warranties, either express or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall McAfee Enterprise or its suppliers be liable for any damages whatsoever including direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, loss of business profits or special damages, even if McAfee Enterprise or its suppliers have been advised of the possibility of such damages. Some states don’t allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages so the preceding limitation may not apply.

Any future product release dates mentioned in this Security Bulletin are intended to outline our general product direction, and they shouldn’t be relied on in making a purchasing decision. The product release dates are for information purposes only, and may not be incorporated into any contract. The product release dates aren’t a commitment, promise, or legal obligation to deliver any material, code, or functionality. The development, release, and timing of any features or functionality described for our products remains at our sole discretion and may be changed or canceled at any time.