CVE-2022-21919
Microsoft Windows 10 1507 ≤ 10.0.10240.19177
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2022-21919 is a high-severity Link Following (CWE-59) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 10 1507. Its CVSS base score is 7.0 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Path Interception (T1034); ranked in the top 14% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
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-2022-21919 is an elevation-of-privilege vulnerability in the Windows User Profile Service that stems from improper link resolution (CWE-59). It affects multiple Windows releases and carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.0 reflecting local attack vector, high attack complexity, and low-privileged access that can still yield full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
A local attacker who already possesses a low-privileged account on an affected system can exploit the flaw to escalate to higher privileges. Successful exploitation grants the ability to read, modify, or delete protected data and to perform actions normally reserved for more privileged accounts.
Microsoft security updates addressing the issue are available through the Microsoft Security Response Center advisories. The vulnerability is also listed in CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, indicating confirmed in-the-wild exploitation.
EPSS for the CVE remained low for an extended period before rising sharply to a peak of 0.8767 on 2024-12-03 and later receding, demonstrating a clear post-disclosure surge in exploitation interest that warrants renewed attention.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2022-27075
Vulnerability Data
Windows User Profile Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
- CWE(s)
- KEV Date Added
- 25 April 2022
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V15.4.2
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.
Secure SDLC practices directly require code to validate paths and avoid unsafe link following.
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.
Security testing can detect link-following flaws before release.
Secure SDLC practices can mandate link-resolution checks and canonicalization before file access.
Application security requirements can explicitly require safe handling of symbolic links and path traversal.
Secure architecture principles include input validation and safe file-access design patterns.
Secure coding standards directly address canonicalization and symlink attacks during implementation.
Access-control rules can limit which files are reachable, reducing exposure to malicious links.