Security Resilience

CVE-2022-41091

Access Control in Microsoft Windows 10 1507 ≤ 10.0.10240.19567

CISA KEVActive ExploitationEUVD ExploitedRansomware-linkedAccess Control
Published
09 November 2022
Modified
10 August 2026
KEV Added
08 November 2022
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 5.4
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L
EPSS Score 0.018 78th percentile
Risk Priority 75 floored blend · peak EPSS

CVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.

Summary

CVE-2022-41091 is a medium-severity Incorrect Authorization (CWE-863) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 10 1507. Its CVSS base score is 5.4 (Medium).

Operationally, ranked in the top 22% 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-2022-41091 is a security feature bypass vulnerability in the Windows Mark of the Web (MOTW) mechanism, which applies security identifiers to files originating from the internet or other untrusted zones. The flaw affects multiple Windows versions and allows certain file-handling operations to circumvent MOTW protections without requiring elevated privileges.

An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit the issue by supplying a specially crafted file that triggers the bypass when opened or processed by a user. Successful exploitation results in limited impact, enabling modification of local files or disruption of availability while leaving confidentiality intact, as reflected in the CVSS vector.

Microsoft's advisory at msrc.microsoft.com directs administrators to apply the security updates released on November 8, 2022. The vulnerability is also catalogued in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list, confirming active exploitation in the wild and underscoring the need for prompt patching.

EPSS scores have remained in a narrow band between 0.0634 and a peak of 0.0757, indicating moderate but stable exploitation interest without a pronounced post-disclosure surge.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Windows Mark of the Web Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability

CWE(s)
KEV Date Added
08 November 2022

Related Threats

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-24880Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1607both on KEV
CVE-2022-41049Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507both on KEV
CVE-2022-41125Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507both on KEV
CVE-2023-28249Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2022-44698Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1607both on KEV
CVE-2023-28252Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507both on KEV
CVE-2023-21823Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507both on KEV
CVE-2023-23376Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507both on KEV
CVE-2023-28229Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507both on KEV
CVE-2023-21674Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507both on KEV

Affected Assets

microsoft
windows 10 1507
≤ 10.0.10240.19567
microsoft
windows 10 1607
≤ 10.0.14393.5501
microsoft
windows 10 1809
≤ 10.0.17763.3650
microsoft
windows 10 20h2
≤ 10.0.19042.2251
microsoft
windows 10 21h1
≤ 10.0.19043.2251
microsoft
windows 10 21h2
≤ 10.0.19044.2251
microsoft
windows 10 22h2
≤ 10.0.19045.2251
microsoft
windows 11 21h2
≤ 10.0.22000.1219
microsoft
windows 11 22h2
≤ 10.0.22621.819
microsoft
windows server 2016
≤ 10.0.14393.5501
+2 more product configuration(s) — see NVD for full list

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-863

Periodic review and update of procedures reduces incorrect authorization implementations over time.

addresses: CWE-863

Supervision identifies cases where authorization logic incorrectly permits unauthorized actions.

addresses: CWE-863

Defining permitted attribute values and auditing modifications reduces the chance of incorrect authorization outcomes due to tampered or missing labels.

addresses: CWE-863

The authorization process and usage restrictions help prevent incorrect authorization for remote access types.

addresses: CWE-863

Establishing configuration and connection requirements helps ensure correct rather than incorrect authorization for wireless access.

addresses: CWE-863

Establishing connection authorization processes for mobile devices helps ensure authorization decisions are correctly implemented rather than incorrect.

addresses: CWE-863

Monitoring account use, notifying on changes, and reviewing accounts for compliance corrects incorrect authorization assignments.

addresses: CWE-863

Ensures authorization decisions for external system use are correctly implemented and enforced.

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.

blocks

Requiring consistency between access rights and classification plus formal approval steps ensures that the authorization logic correctly distinguishes between entities that should and should not be granted access.

blocks

A.5.18's provisioning, revocation, review and adjustment of access rights (incl. before role changes/termination, with segregation and owner approval) directly stops incorrect authorization decisions from being exploitable in the vast majority of cases; the bounded remainder is incorrectness inside the authorization logic itself (e.g. flawed conditional or missing check) rather than rights that were wrongly granted.

blocks

A.8.3 directly mandates restricting access to information per policies via configuration, identity/group controls, isolation, and dynamic techniques that enforce correct authorization decisions, addressing most but not all slices of CWE-863 (e.g., remainder in non-access-decision authorization errors like timing or environmental factors).

Hardening callouts derived

DISA STIG baselines are authored against specific weaknesses. Where this CVE cites a broad weakness class, the mapping is not asserted at that abstraction (owner ruling, 2026-09-25: grade only at Base and below), so no rule is shown here rather than a rule shown against the wrong grain.

  • No fine-grained STIG row for CWE-863, a class-level weakness, and none of its children carries one either.

References