Threats / Microsoft / CVE-2021-31201
CVE-2021-31201
· EUVD no mirror located
· GCVE no mirror located
Verified 2026-06-22
Microsoft Enhanced Cryptographic Provider vulnerability
Microsoft Enhanced Cryptographic Provider contains an unspecified privilege escalation vulnerability that has been exploited in the wild.
Verdict
Today item — known-exploited.
A privilege escalation flaw in Microsoft's Enhanced Cryptographic Provider enables attackers to gain elevated system access. Active exploitation in the wild indicates immediate risk to affected systems.
01
Is it exploitable?
— the evidence, ranked above the scoreReported exploitation
5 independent public reports of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2021-11-03).
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.02617 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
Affected: Microsoft, Enhanced Cryptographic Provider. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.
02
Who’s exploiting it?
— attribution turns risk into urgencyAttribution not established
No confirmed (advisory-backed) threat-actor attribution is established for this record. Absence of a named actor is not absence of compromise — see Coverage & confidence.
03
Why it matters
— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board1
Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1
Attacker
I identify and exploit a privilege escalation weakness in the Enhanced Cryptographic Provider to elevate my access level on a target system.
Business
Attackers gain administrative control over affected systems, enabling lateral movement and persistent compromise of critical infrastructure.
2
Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2
Attacker
I leverage elevated privileges to install malware, modify system configurations, or establish backdoors for sustained access.
Business
Compromised systems face data theft, operational disruption, and loss of control over security boundaries and access policies.
04
What to do
— defensible action- Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
05