# CVE-2021-23874: McAfee Total Protection (MTP) Improper Privilege Management Vulnerability

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2021-23874-mcafee-total-protection-mtp-improper-privilege-management  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2021-11-03. Updated: 2026-05-10  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2021-23874 · Severity: critical · CVSS 7.8 · Exploited in the wild · Published 2021-11-03

McAfee Total Protection (MTP) prior to version 16.0.30 contains an improper privilege management vulnerability. A local attacker can exploit this to gain elevated privileges and execute arbitrary code, effectively bypassing the software's self-defense mechanisms.

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2021-23874 exploited in the wild?** Yes. CVE-2021-23874 is known to be exploited in the wild, first recorded on 3 November 2021. Treat it as urgent.

**How severe is CVE-2021-23874?** Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 7.8, published 3 November 2021.

**Which products and versions are affected?** McAfee Total Protection (MTP) < 16.0.30.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2021-23874?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2021-23874 attacked?** It is attacked with local access, in a network appliance.

**Am I affected by CVE-2021-23874?** Check whether you run Mcafee Total Protection (Mtp). Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Affected products

- McAfee Total Protection (MTP) < 16.0.30

## Timeline

- 2021-02-10: disclosed
- 2021-11-03: kev added: Added to CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog