CVE-2021-41357: 
vulnerability analysis and mitigation

Win32k Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability (CVE-2021-41357) is a security flaw discovered in Microsoft Windows systems. This vulnerability is unique from CVE-2021-40449 and CVE-2021-40450, and was disclosed on October 12, 2021. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server systems (NVD).

The vulnerability has been assigned a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH) with the vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, indicating local access requirements with low attack complexity and privilege requirements. The CVSS v2.0 base score is 4.6 (MEDIUM) with the vector (AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P) (NVD).

This vulnerability allows an attacker to potentially gain elevated privileges on affected Windows systems. The high CVSS score indicates significant potential impact on the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system if successfully exploited (NVD).

Microsoft has released security updates to address this vulnerability. Organizations are required to apply vendor updates as per CISA's directive with a due date of May 16, 2022. The patches are available for affected versions of Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server systems (NVD).