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Known exploited vulnerability · CISA KEV

CVE-2021-36955: Microsoft Windows Common Log File System (CLFS) Driver Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Microsoft Windows Common Log File System (CLFS) driver contains an unspecified vulnerability that allows for privilege escalation.

CVE-2021-36955

Exploited in the wild. Fix this first.

CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2021-11-03: attackers are using it right now. It is known to be used in ransomware campaigns.

CISA KEV
Listed
Added 2021-11-03 · federal fix-by 2021-11-17
EPSS (30 days)
4.1%
Higher than 91% of CVEs · 2026-11-01
CVSS v3.1
7.8 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

What CISA says

Microsoft Windows Common Log File System (CLFS) Driver Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

NVD description · published 2021-09-15

Windows Common Log File System Driver Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

Full record on NVD

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How to check if you are exposed to CVE-2021-36955

  1. Find every Microsoft Windows system you or your clients run, including ones exposed to the internet. Those come first: CISA only lists flaws attackers are already using.
  2. Compare each version with the fixed versions in the vendor advisory. Where no fix exists yet, apply the vendor’s mitigation or take the system off the internet.
  3. Run a credentialed vulnerability scan to catch the systems you missed, then check that the next scan no longer reports CVE-2021-36955.

US federal agencies had to fix this by 2021-11-17. Everyone else should treat that deadline as a guide: if it has passed, this is overdue.

Affected versions

Versions the National Vulnerability Database lists as vulnerable to CVE-2021-36955. Check the vendor advisory for the exact fixed builds before you sign anything off.

ProductVulnerable versions
Microsoft Windows 10 1507before 10.0.10240.19060
Microsoft Windows 10 1607before 10.0.14393.4651
Microsoft Windows 10 1809before 10.0.17763.2183
Microsoft Windows 10 1909before 10.0.18363.1801
Microsoft Windows 10 2004before 10.0.19041.1237
Microsoft Windows 10 20h2before 10.0.19042.1237

NVD lists 11 more affected products; see the full record on NVD.

Timeline

  1. · Published in the National Vulnerability Database
  2. · Added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, 49 days after it was published
  3. · Fix-by date for US federal agencies, passed 1,810 days ago

More exploited Microsoft vulnerabilities

CISA lists 390 exploited Microsoft vulnerabilities. The closest matches:

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Sources: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (version 2026.10.30); EPSS data from FIRST.org; CVSS and descriptions from the NIST National Vulnerability Database. Checked 2026-11-01. This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.

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