Cyber Resilience

CVE-2022-22047

LPE in Microsoft Windows Server 2008 r2

CISA KEVActive ExploitationEUVD ExploitedLPE
Published
12 July 2022
Modified
30 October 2025
KEV Added
12 July 2022
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 7.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.17 97th percentile
Risk Priority 83 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2022-22047 is a high-severity Untrusted Search Path (CWE-426) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Server 2008. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Path Interception (T1034); ranked in the top 3% 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-2022-22047 is an elevation-of-privilege vulnerability in the Windows Client Server Run-time Subsystem (CSRSS) that carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.8. The flaw is classified under CWE-426 and affects the CSRSS component responsible for managing Windows console sessions and related runtime services. It was publicly disclosed on 12 July 2022.

A local attacker who already possesses a low-privileged user account on an affected Windows system can exploit the weakness without user interaction. Successful exploitation grants the attacker full control over confidentiality, integrity, and availability on the host, effectively allowing transition from a standard user to SYSTEM-level privileges.

Microsoft’s security update guide provides patches that address the issue, and the vulnerability appears in CISA’s catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities, confirming that remediation should be prioritized through the supplied updates.

EPSS scores have remained low, with a recorded peak of 0.0150 and a current value of 0.0120, indicating limited observed exploitation interest after disclosure.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Windows Client Server Run-time Subsystem (CSRSS) Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

CWE(s)
KEV Date Added
12 July 2022

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1034 Path Interception Persistence
**This technique has been deprecated.
T1574 Hijack Execution Flow Stealth
Adversaries may execute their own malicious payloads by hijacking the way operating systems run programs.
T1574.001 DLL Stealth
Adversaries may abuse dynamic-link library files (DLLs) in order to achieve persistence, escalate privileges, and evade defenses.
T1574.008 Path Interception by Search Order Hijacking Stealth
Adversaries may execute their own malicious payloads by hijacking the search order used to load other programs.
T1574.007 Path Interception by PATH Environment Variable Stealth
Adversaries may execute their own malicious payloads by hijacking environment variables used to load libraries.
T1574.009 Path Interception by Unquoted Path Stealth
Adversaries may execute their own malicious payloads by hijacking vulnerable file path references.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-41766Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2023-36393Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2022-21919Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507both on KEV
CVE-2022-21999Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507both on KEV
CVE-2022-30190Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507both on KEV
CVE-2022-34713Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507both on KEV
CVE-2012-1854Same vendor: Microsoftboth on KEV
CVE-2022-26925Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507both on KEV
CVE-2022-24521Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507both on KEV
CVE-2022-26904Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507both on KEV

Affected Assets

microsoft
windows 10 1507
≤ 10.0.10240.19360
microsoft
windows 10 1607
≤ 10.0.14393.5246
microsoft
windows 10 1809
≤ 10.0.17763.3165
microsoft
windows 10 20h2
≤ 10.0.19042.1826
microsoft
windows 10 21h1
≤ 10.0.19043.1826
microsoft
windows 10 21h2
≤ 10.0.19044.1826
microsoft
windows 11 21h2
≤ 10.0.22000.795
microsoft
windows 7
all versions
microsoft
windows 8.1
all versions
microsoft
windows rt 8.1
all versions
+6 more product configuration(s) — see NVD for full list

Mitigating Controls

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-05 full match
prevents

Preventing execution of unauthorized code directly blocks the malicious binaries that an untrusted search path would load.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure development practices include avoiding or sanitizing externally influenced search paths in application code.

PR.PS-01 partial match
prevents

Hardened configuration baselines can enforce safe search paths and restrict environment variables that enable the 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 can discover search-path issues but does not itself prevent them in production code.

degrades

Restricting software installation reduces the chance that untrusted binaries or libraries are placed in search paths.

prevents

Secure architecture principles include hard-coded or validated search paths and avoiding reliance on untrusted directories.

prevents

Secure coding standards require absolute paths or integrity-checked search paths, directly mitigating CWE-426.

none

Change-management processes can enforce review of path-handling changes, indirectly lowering risk.

References