Cyber Resilience

CVE-2022-21882

Memory Safety in Microsoft Windows 10 1809 ≤ 10.0.17763.2452

CISA KEVActive ExploitationEUVD ExploitedPublic PoCMemory Safety
Published
11 January 2022
Modified
30 October 2025
KEV Added
04 February 2022
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 7.0
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.55 99th percentile
Risk Priority 78 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2022-21882 is a high-severity Out-of-bounds Write (CWE-787) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 10 1809. Its CVSS base score is 7.0 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked in the top 1% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2022-21882 is a Win32k elevation-of-privilege vulnerability in the Windows kernel-mode driver that implements the Win32 subsystem. The flaw is an out-of-bounds write (CWE-787) that can be triggered locally, carrying a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.0 under the vector AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

An attacker who already possesses a low-privileged local account can exploit the condition to obtain SYSTEM-level privileges on an affected Windows system. Public exploit code demonstrating offset confusion in the ConsoleControl path has been published, confirming that the vulnerability can be reached without user interaction once local access is obtained.

Microsoft security advisories direct administrators to apply the patches released in the January 2022 Patch Tuesday cycle; the updates are available through Windows Update and the Microsoft Update Catalog. The vulnerability is also listed in CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, indicating confirmed in-the-wild exploitation.

EPSS scores have remained elevated, with a current value of 0.8914 and a recorded peak of 0.9045.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Win32k Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

CWE(s)
KEV Date Added
04 February 2022

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution Execution
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in client applications to execute code.
T1210 Exploitation of Remote Services Lateral Movement
Adversaries may exploit remote services to gain unauthorized access to internal systems once inside of a network.
T1211 Exploitation for Stealth Stealth
Adversaries may exploit vulnerabilities to evade detection by hiding activity, suppressing logging, or operating within trusted or unmonitored components.
T1212 Exploitation for Credential Access Credential Access
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to collect credentials.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2022-24521Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1809both on KEV
CVE-2022-41125Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1809both on KEV
CVE-2022-37969Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1809both on KEV
CVE-2022-41073Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1809both on KEV
CVE-2022-41128Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1809both on KEV
CVE-2021-28310Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1809both on KEV
CVE-2021-1732Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1809both on KEV
CVE-2021-33742Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1809both on KEV
CVE-2021-34448Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1809both on KEV
CVE-2020-0968Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1809both on KEV

Affected Assets

microsoft
windows 10 1809
≤ 10.0.17763.2452 · ≤ 10.0.17763.2452
microsoft
windows 10 1909
≤ 10.0.18363.2037
microsoft
windows 10 20h2
≤ 10.0.19042.1466
microsoft
windows 10 21h1
≤ 10.0.19043.1466
microsoft
windows 10 21h2
≤ 10.0.19044.1466
microsoft
windows 11 21h2
≤ 10.0.22000.434
microsoft
windows server 2019
≤ 10.0.17763.2452
microsoft
windows server 2022
≤ 10.0.20348.469
microsoft
windows server 20h2
≤ 10.0.19042.1466

Mitigating Controls

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-787

Out-of-bounds writes that corrupt control flow or inject shellcode are rendered non-executable by the same memory protections.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure-development practices (static analysis, bounds checking, code review) are the primary means of preventing out-of-bounds writes.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability scanning and recording can discover out-of-bounds write flaws so they can be remediated.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Patching or replacing vulnerable software directly eliminates known instances of this coding weakness.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

finds

Security testing in development and acceptance can detect and prevent out-of-bounds write defects.

prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates practices that prevent out-of-bounds writes.

prevents

Application security requirements can specify bounds-checking and safe memory handling.

prevents

Secure architecture and engineering principles reduce the likelihood of buffer overflows.

prevents

Secure coding directly addresses out-of-bounds writes through language choice and coding standards.

prevents

Change management can enforce review gates that catch unsafe memory operations before deployment.

References