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Vulnerabilities

Vulnerability · CVE-2021-36948

Microsoft Windows Update Medic Service Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Published Aug 10, 2021 · catalog updated Aug 10, 2026 · Microsoft Windows

Patch now

CVE-2021-36948 is in the CISA known-exploited catalog, due Nov 17, 2021. Confirm Microsoft Windows against the vendor advisory and apply that fix. The CVSS score does not change the priority.

Gaps on this record

  • No version range is stored. A customer cannot check an installed version against this record.
Severity
High7.8
Known exploitation
CISA KEV and VulnCheck KEV
EPSS
23.27%
Remediation
Remediation guidance
Affected products
cpe microsoft/windows 10 1809 · cpe microsoft/windows 10 1909 · cpe microsoft/windows 10 2004 · cpe microsoft/windows 10 20h2 · cpe microsoft/windows 10 21h1 · cpe microsoft/windows server 2004

Microsoft Windows Update Medic Service contains an unspecified vulnerability that allows for privilege escalation.

Are you affected?

Enter the version you run. The result uses only the ranges stored on this record.

The check returns affected, not affected, or incomplete. It does not guess a version that is missing from the record.

  • cpe microsoft/windows 10 1809version unspecified
  • cpe microsoft/windows 10 1909version unspecified
  • cpe microsoft/windows 10 2004version unspecified
  • cpe microsoft/windows 10 20h2version unspecified
  • cpe microsoft/windows 10 21h1version unspecified
  • cpe microsoft/windows server 2004version unspecified
  • cpe microsoft/windows server 2019version unspecified
  • cpe microsoft/windows server 20h2version unspecified
  • vendor Microsoft Windowsversion unspecified

How to fix CVE-2021-36948

What to do

Three questions, each answered from this record only. Confirm the vendor advisory before you patch.

Should you patch?

CVE-2021-36948 is in the CISA known-exploited catalog, due Nov 17, 2021. Confirm Microsoft Windows against the vendor advisory and apply that fix. The CVSS score does not change the priority.

Which versions are affected?

Affected version ranges are not on this record. Apply updates per vendor instructions.

What should an analyst verify?

No weakness class is stored. EPSS 23.27%. The CISA KEV listing is the exploitation evidence. No Exploit-DB or Metasploit reference is linked. Use the source links for the original advisory.

Technology hubs

Windows security

Code

The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.

No public source repository is identified for this product.

Timeline

Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.

  1. Aug 12, 2021 · Catalog

    Detected

    Microsoft Windows Update Medic Service contains an unspecified vulnerability that allows for privilege escalation.

  2. Nov 3, 2021 · CISA KEV

    Known exploited

    Apply updates per vendor instructions.

  3. Nov 17, 2021 · CISA KEV

    Remediation due

    Apply updates per vendor instructions.

  4. Aug 10, 2026 · Catalog

    Updated

    Microsoft Windows Update Medic Service contains an unspecified vulnerability that allows for privilege escalation.

Sources

  • CISA KEVConfirmed exploitationCVE-2021-36948

    Microsoft Windows Update Medic Service contains an unspecified vulnerability that allows for privilege escalation.

    cisa.gov
  • CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2021-36948

    Official CVE identifier

    cve.org
  • FIRST EPSSExploitation probabilityCVE-2021-36948

    30-day exploitation probability 23.3%

    first.org
  • NIST NVDVulnerability recordCVE-2021-36948

    Windows Update Medic Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

    nvd.nist.gov
  • VulnCheck KEVConfirmed exploitationCVE-2021-36948

    Microsoft Windows Update Medic Service contains an unspecified vulnerability that allows for privilege escalation.

    vulncheck.com

References

Freshness

Last verified in this catalog Oct 17, 2026. Significant claims (KEV, EPSS, CVSS, affected ranges) come from the source rows above — open the original publisher for the authoritative advisory.