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Full vulnerability report · 2021
CVE-2021-42306High confidence

Azure Active Directory Information Disclosure Vulnerability

Microsoft · Azure Active Directory

8.1HighCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Within 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Patch available
R
Operational reassessment

Published severity in operational context

Open reassessment dashboard →
Published severityHighOperational priority:High, unchanged from published severity.unchanged

Evidence used

  • No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
  • EPSS is 3.27% for the current model date.

Compensating controls

  • Validate the affected product branch and deploy the verified fixed release.
  • Restrict the affected network interface to trusted sources where business-safe.
  • Monitor vendor guidance and exploitation sources for a material change.

Verification

  1. Confirm that the asset runs Microsoft Azure Active Directory and falls inside the recorded affected range.
  2. Verify the installed build against the product-specific fixed version after deployment.
  3. Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
  4. Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Mitigation target: Within 30 daysRemediation target: Within 180 days

This automated reassessment organises public evidence. It does not know asset exposure, business impact or control effectiveness and does not replace CVSS or a human risk decision.

Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Choose official national sources for this report. Each advisory shows its original language. Your selection is remembered on this device and included in shared links.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2021-29281

No EUVD known-exploited evidence

An information disclosure vulnerability manifests when a user or an application uploads unprotected private key data as part of an authentication certificate keyCredential  on an Azure AD Application or Service Principal (which is not recommended). This vulnerability allows a user or service in the tenant with application read access to read the private key data that was added to the application. Azure AD addressed this vulnerability by preventing disclosure of any private key values added to the application. Microsoft has identified services that could manifest this vulnerability, and steps that customers should take to be protected. Refer to the FAQ section for more information. For more details on this issue, please refer to the MSRC Blog Entry.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Not present in the current ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset. This is not proof of no exploitation.
ENISA score
8.1 · CVSS 3.1
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionWithin 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Patch available
01

What, why and how

An information disclosure vulnerability manifests when a user or an application uploads unprotected private key data as part of an authentication certificate keyCredential  on an Azure AD Application or Service Principal (which is not recommended). This vulnerability allows a user or service in the tenant with application read access to read the private key data that was added to the application. Azure AD addressed this vulnerability by preventing disclosure of any private key values added to the application. Microsoft has identified services that could manifest this vulnerability, and steps that customers should take to be protected. Refer to the FAQ section for more information. For more details on this issue, please refer to the MSRC Blog Entry.

What

An information disclosure vulnerability manifests when a user or an application uploads unprotected private key data as part of an authentication certificate keyCredential  on an Azure AD Application or Service Principal (which is not recommended). This vulnerability allows a user or service in the tenant with application read access to read the private key data that was added to the application. Azure AD addressed this vulnerability by preventing disclosure of any private key values added to the application. Microsoft has identified services that could manifest this vulnerability, and steps that customers should take to be protected. Refer to the FAQ section for more information. For more details on this issue, please refer to the MSRC Blog Entry.

Why

The product transmits or stores authentication credentials, but it uses an insecure method that is susceptible to unauthorized interception and/or retrieval.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may obtain information outside the intended access boundary.

What

An information disclosure vulnerability manifests when a user or an application uploads unprotected private key data as part of an authentication certificate keyCredential  on an Azure AD Application or Service Principal (which is not recommended). This vulnerability allows a user or service in the tenant with application read access to read the private key data that was added to the application. Azure AD addressed this vulnerability by preventing disclosure of any private key values added to the application. Microsoft has identified services that could manifest this vulnerability, and steps that customers should take to be protected. Refer to the FAQ section for more information. For more details on this issue, please refer to the MSRC Blog Entry.

Why

The product transmits or stores authentication credentials, but it uses an insecure method that is susceptible to unauthorized interception and/or retrieval.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may obtain information outside the intended access boundary.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
No confirmed evidence

No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
None recorded

No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.

Likely attack path
a network path → Insufficiently Protected Credentials → obtain information outside the intended access boundary
Attack surface
Network
Privileges required
Low: a basic authenticated account is required
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-522 ↗

CWE-522: Insufficiently Protected Credentials. The product transmits or stores authentication credentials, but it uses an insecure method that is susceptible to unauthorized interception and/or retrieval.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N/E:U/RL:O/RC:C

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVNetworkAttack vector: The vulnerable component can be reached over a network.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRLowPrivileges required: The attacker needs basic user-level privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.ANoneAvailability impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
Stolen credentials, tokens and legitimate administration functions may provide continued access without deploying a large custom toolset.
NetworkCWE-522
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2021-29281Official EUVD mapping

An information disclosure vulnerability manifests when a user or an application uploads unprotected private key data as part of an authentication certificate keyCredential  on an Azure AD Application or Service Principal (which is not recommended). This vulnerability allows a user or service in the tenant with application read access to read the private key data that was added to the application. Azure AD addressed this vulnerability by preventing disclosure of any private key values added to the application. Microsoft has identified services that could manifest this vulnerability, and steps that customers should take to be protected. Refer to the FAQ section for more information. For more details on this issue, please refer to the MSRC Blog Entry.

Official EUVD record ↗
Canadian Centre for Cyber Security · English · AV21-593Microsoft Azure security advisory

On 17 November 2021 Microsoft published a Security Update to address a vulnerability in the following products: Azure Active Directory Information Disclosure Vulnerability https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-42306

Official advisory ↗
Cyber Security Agency of Singapore · English · CSA-SB-20211201Security Bulletin 01 Dec 2021

The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore included this CVE in its official Security Bulletin 01 Dec 2021, published on 1 December 2021. Open the linked bulletin for the product, severity and reference information published in that issue.

Official advisory ↗
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2021-AVI-884Vulnérabilité dans Microsoft Azure Active Directory

Une vulnérabilité a été découverte dans Microsoft Azure Active Directory. Elle permet à un attaquant de provoquer une atteinte à la confidentialité des données.

Official advisory ↗
JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2021-004820複数の Azure 製品における情報を公開される脆弱性

複数の Azure 製品には、Azure Active Directory に不備があるため、情報を公開される脆弱性が存在します。

Official advisory ↗
03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Patch available
Affected
Fixed
An authoritative update reference is available, but the fixed version is not recorded in the structured CVE fields. Check the linked vendor advisory for the applicable release.
Action
Review the linked authoritative reference and apply the recorded fixed release appropriate to the affected product branch.
Workaround
No verified workaround is recorded. If business-safe, reduce exposure to the affected interface and allow only trusted sources until authoritative guidance is available.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 24 Nov 2021 · Last source change 19 Aug 2026, 16:27 UTC · CWE-522 · Insufficiently Protected Credentials

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.2
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2021-29281
Product sourceCNA
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceNIST NVD
NVD statusNVD modified after enrichment

Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗
  1. Vendor guidanceAuthoritative vendor guidance changed: added remediation: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2021-42306; removed patch: msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2021-42306; removed remediation: msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2021-42306.
    Before
    patch: msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2021-42306 · patch: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2021-42306 · remediation: msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2021-42306
    After
    patch: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2021-42306 · remediation: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2021-42306
    portal.msrc.microsoft.com ↗
  2. Vendor guidanceAuthoritative vendor guidance changed: added patch: msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2021-42306; added remediation: msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2021-42306; removed remediation: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2021-42306.
    Before
    patch: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2021-42306 · remediation: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2021-42306
    After
    patch: msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2021-42306 · patch: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2021-42306 · remediation: msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2021-42306
    msrc.microsoft.com ↗
  3. Affected versionsThe structured affected or fixed version information changed.
    Before
    1.0.0 < publication; N/A · Fixed: An authoritative update reference is available, but the fixed version is not recorded in the structured CVE fields. Check the linked vendor advisory for the applicable release.
    After
    -; 1.0.0 < publication · Fixed: An authoritative update reference is available, but the fixed version is not recorded in the structured CVE fields. Check the linked vendor advisory for the applicable release.
    CNA ↗
Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
CVE published
Fixed release or patch reference recorded
ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2021-29281↗Patch or update reference↗CVE authority or vendor reference↗Official CVE record (CNA and ADP data)↗NVD record↗
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2021-42306 · cve.blacktree.nl