dbcve.org
Windows 10Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2022-21849

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-01-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
Windows Internet Key Exchange (IKE) Protocol Extensions Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

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 · moderate confidence

This is a critical remote code execution vulnerability in Windows Internet Key Exchange (IKE) Protocol Extensions. The vulnerability is network-exploitable and allows an unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code on affected Windows systems by sending specially crafted IKE packets.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security updates addressed in the CVE-2022-21849 security bulletin. Prioritize patching systems with direct internet exposure or those handling VPN/IKE communications.

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
Windows 10Operating system
Affected:all versions= 20h2= 21h1= 21h2= 1607= 1809= 1909
Windows 11Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows ServerOperating system
Affected:= 20h2= 2022
Windows Server 2016Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2019Operating system
Affected:all versions

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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. Check Windows version and build number
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to obtain the exact Windows version and build. Compare against affected versions: Windows 10 (20h2, 21h1, 21h2, 1607, 1809, 1909), Windows 11 (all), Windows Server 2016 (all), Windows Server 2019 (all), Windows Server 20h2 and 2022.
    Affected if The installed Windows version matches any of the listed affected versions.
  2. Determine if IKE protocol extensions are in use
    Check if the IKE and AuthIP IPsec Keying Modules service (IKEEXT) is running: open Services console (services.msc) and locate 'IKE and AuthIP IPsec Keying Modules', or run 'sc query IKEEXT' from command prompt.
    Affected if The IKEEXT service exists and is running on the system.
  3. Check for IPsec/IKE policy configurations
    Run 'netsh ipsec dynamic show all' or 'netsh ipsec static show all' to list configured IPsec policies. Also check for VPN connections in 'ncpa.cpl' or via 'Get-VpnConnection' PowerShell cmdlet if Remote Access is configured.
    Affected if Any IPsec policies, IKEv1/IKEv2 configurations, or VPN connections using IKE are present on the system.
  4. Verify listening IKE ports
    Run 'netstat -an | findstr "500"' and 'netstat -an | findstr "4500"' to check if UDP ports 500 (IKE) and 4500 (NAT-T) are listening, which indicates IKE is enabled for incoming VPN or IPsec negotiations.
    Affected if UDP ports 500 or 4500 are in listening state or actively exchanging packets.

A system is affected if it runs an affected Windows version AND has IKE protocol extensions enabled or configured, as indicated by the IKEEXT service running, IPsec policies present, or IKE ports listening.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the Microsoft security updates addressed in the CVE-2022-21849 security bulletin. Prioritize patching systems with direct internet exposure or those handling VPN/IKE communications.

Recommended fix High confidence
  1. Open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and check for updates
  2. Install all available security updates for January 2022 or later
  3. Restart the system after updates are installed
  4. Verify the vulnerability is remediated by checking that security updates have been applied successfully

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

Fix this in Windows 10 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2022-21849 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