dbcve.org
AgentApplication · Mcafee

CVE-2022-1256

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-04-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.7.6 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
A local privilege escalation vulnerability in MA for Windows prior to 5.7.6 allows a local low privileged user to gain system privileges through running the repair functionality. Temporary file actions were performed on the local user's %TEMP% directory with System privileges through manipulation of symbolic links.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A local privilege escalation vulnerability in MA for Windows versions prior to 5.7.6 allows a low-privileged local user to gain SYSTEM-level privileges by exploiting the repair functionality. The vulnerability stems from the repair process performing temporary file operations in the user's %TEMP% directory with elevated System privileges, which can be manipulated through symbolic link attacks.

MitigationUpgrade MA for Windows to version 5.7.6 or later to remediate this vulnerability. Until patched, restrict access to the repair functionality and monitor for symbolic link manipulation attempts in the %TEMP% directory.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
AgentApplication
Affected:< 5.7.6

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify McAfee Agent is installed
    Check for McAfee Agent installation by looking for the service or product in Windows Programs and Features, or by querying the McAfee service (look for services named 'McAfee Agent' or 'McAfee Framework Service')
    Affected if McAfee Agent is not found on the system, then the CVE does not apply
  2. Determine the installed McAfee Agent version
    Open Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, locate McAfee Agent, and note the version column. Alternatively, right-click the McAfee icon in the system tray and select 'About' to view version information
    Affected if Unable to determine the version - further investigation required
  3. Compare installed version against affected range
    Compare the detected version number to 5.7.6. Versions below 5.7.6 (such as 5.7.5, 5.7.0, 5.6.x, etc.) are within the affected range
    Affected if Installed version is less than 5.7.6 - the system is vulnerable to this privilege escalation
  4. Confirm repair functionality accessibility
    Verify that the repair option is accessible to standard users. This may be available through the McAfee system tray icon under 'Repair' or 'Reinstall', or accessible via command line tools provided with the agent
    Affected if The repair functionality is accessible to low-privileged local users, the exploitation condition for this CVE is present

The system is affected by CVE-2022-1256 if McAfee Agent for Windows is installed with a version lower than 5.7.6 and the repair functionality is accessible to standard users.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.7.6 or later
Fixed in 5.7.6
Interim mitigation

Upgrade MA for Windows to version 5.7.6 or later to remediate this vulnerability. Until patched, restrict access to the repair functionality and monitor for symbolic link manipulation attempts in the %TEMP% directory.

Recommended fix High confidence

McAfee Agent 5.7.6

  1. Verify current McAfee Agent version by checking the agent UI or running: reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\McAfee\Agent" /v Version
  2. Download McAfee Agent version 5.7.6 or later from the McAfee download portal or your ePO server
  3. Backup current agent configuration if possible through ePO or manual export
  4. Run the agent upgrade package with elevated privileges (as administrator)
  5. Verify successful upgrade by checking the agent version again
  6. Confirm the repair functionality no longer creates files in user %TEMP% with System privileges

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Agent Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,360
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,176.

Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-1256 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data