CVE-2021-43890
Microsoft Windows: AppX Installer Spoofing
As of , CVE-2021-43890 in Microsoft Windows is on CISA's list of exploited vulnerabilities: CISA listed it on . Our patch-first group: Patch this week.
- Exploited
- Yes: CISA listed it on 15 December 2021
- US federal deadline
- 29 December 202114 days after CISA listed it. US federal civilian agencies must fix it by then.
- Used in ransomware campaigns
- KnownCISA changed it from Unknown to Known on 13 May 2025.
- EPSS score
- 0.10Higher than 95% of the CVEs EPSS scores. EPSS estimates the chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days.
- EPSS when listed
- Not availableCISA listed it before 4 February 2022, where the EPSS files we read begin.
- Public exploit
- None foundNeither Metasploit nor Exploit-DB lists one.
- Fix
- No vendor link in CISA's entry
What CISA says to do
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
CISA's required action
What the flaw is
Microsoft Windows AppX Installer contains a spoofing vulnerability which has a high impacts to confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
CISA's description
We have investigated reports of a spoofing vulnerability in AppX installer that affects Microsoft Windows. Microsoft is aware of attacks that attempt to exploit this vulnerability by using specially crafted packages that include the malware family known as Emotet/Trickbot/Bazaloader. An attacker could craft a malicious attachment to be used in phishing campaigns. The attacker would then have to convince the user to open the specially crafted attachment. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights. Please see the Security Updates table for the link to the updated app. Alternatively you can download and install the Installer using the links provided in the FAQ section. Please see the Mitigations and Workaround sections for important information about steps you can take to protect your system from this vulnerability. December 27 2023 Update: In recent months, Microsoft Threat Intelligence has seen an increase in activity from threat actors leveraging social engineering and phishing techniques to target Windows OS users and utilizing the ms-appinstaller URI scheme. To address this increase in activity, we have updated the App Installer to disable the ms-appinstaller protocol by default and recommend other potential mitigations.
The CVE record's description, from microsoft
- CVE published
- 15 December 2021
- Assigned by
- microsoft
- CVSS
- 7.1 High (CVSS 3.1, from the CNA)
- CISA SSVC, exploitation
- active
- CISA SSVC, automatable
- no
- CISA SSVC, technical impact
- total
Timeline
- The CVE record was published.
- CISA added it to its list of exploited vulnerabilities.
- The US federal deadline to fix it.
- CISA changed its entry. Ransomware use: Unknown to Known.
Windows: other exploited entries
| Vulnerability | Product | Our group | Listed | Deadline | EPSS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2025-60710Link Following | Microsoft Windows | Patch nowRansomware use, listed within a year | 0.05 | ||
| CVE-2008-4250Buffer Overflow | Microsoft Windows | Patch this weekMetasploit module; EPSS 0.99; verified Exploit-DB entry | 0.99 | ||
| CVE-2008-0015Video ActiveX Control Remote Code Execution | Microsoft Windows | Patch this weekMetasploit module; EPSS 0.77; verified Exploit-DB entry | 0.77 | ||
| CVE-2013-3918Out-of-Bounds Write | Microsoft Windows | Patch this weekMetasploit module; EPSS 0.74; verified Exploit-DB entry | 0.74 | ||
| CVE-2010-2568Remote Code Execution | Microsoft Windows | Patch this weekMetasploit module; EPSS 0.91; verified Exploit-DB entry | 0.91 | ||
| CVE-2015-0016TS WebProxy Directory Traversal | Microsoft Windows | Patch this weekMetasploit module; EPSS 0.76; verified Exploit-DB entry | 0.76 | ||
| CVE-2015-2426Adobe Type Manager Library Remote Code Execution | Microsoft Windows | Patch this weekMetasploit module; EPSS 0.87; verified Exploit-DB entry | 0.87 | ||
| CVE-2014-6332Object Linking & Embedding (OLE) Automation Array Remote Code Execution | Microsoft Windows | Patch this weekMetasploit module; EPSS 0.95; verified Exploit-DB entry | 0.95 | ||
| CVE-2017-0146SMB Remote Code Execution | Microsoft Windows | Patch this weekRansomware use; Metasploit module; EPSS 0.90; verified Exploit-DB entry | 0.90 | ||
| CVE-2014-4114Object Linking & Embedding (OLE) Remote Code Execution | Microsoft Windows | Patch this weekMetasploit module; EPSS 0.82; verified Exploit-DB entry | 0.82 |
Read further
- CVE recordcve.org
- NVD entrynvd.nist.gov
- CISA's catalogcisa.gov
- EPSS for this CVEapi.first.org