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Known exploited vulnerability

CVE-2021-38646

highCVSS 3.1 7.8In CISA KEVRansomwareEPSS 8.0%Published · Microsoft

The short answer

CVE-2021-38646 affects Microsoft Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise and is rated high (CVSS 7.8). CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-03-28: attackers are using it, so patch it first. The vendor has linked a patch.

What it is

Microsoft Office Access Connectivity Engine Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Severity

7.8 high

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploited (CISA KEV)

Yes, since Mar 28, 2022

Federal due date Apr 18, 2022

EPSS, next 30 days

8.0%

Higher than 95% of scored CVEs

How it can be exploited

Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
High

What CISA says to do

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Affected products

Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, Microsoft Office 2013 Service Pack 1, Microsoft Office 2016, Microsoft Office 2019. NVD's record lists the exact affected versions.

References

Questions

Is CVE-2021-38646 being exploited?

Yes. CISA added CVE-2021-38646 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-03-28, with a federal remediation due date of 2022-04-18. CISA lists it as used in ransomware campaigns.

How do I fix CVE-2021-38646?

CISA's required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.

From NVD, CISA KEV, FIRST EPSS and OSV.dev, checked . Status on NVD: Analyzed. The description is NVD's text, quoted as published.

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