CVE-2022-21876
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 · uneditedWin32k Information Disclosure 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 confidenceWin32k information disclosure vulnerability in the Windows kernel graphics subsystem (win32k.sys) that could allow a local authenticated attacker to access sensitive information from kernel memory.
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 dataall versions= 20h2= 21h1= 21h2= 1607= 1809= 1909all versions= 20h2= 2022all versionsall versionsall versionsCVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Windows version and build numberRun 'systeminfo' or 'winver' from command prompt to get the Windows edition, version, and build numberAffected if The version and build are not listed in the supported versions or are older than the patched builds for your Windows release (e.g., Windows 10 20h2, 21h1, 21h2, Windows 11, Windows Server 2019/2022, etc.)
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Locate win32k.sys file versionOpen File Explorer, navigate to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\win32k.sys, right-click and select Properties, then check the File version on the Details tab; or run 'powershell (Get-Item C:\Windows\System32\drivers\win32k.sys).VersionInfo'Affected if The file version is older than the version that includes the security fix for CVE-2022-21876 (compare against Microsoft's security update KB5009596 or later for your Windows version)
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Verify security update installationOpen Settings > Windows Update > View update history, or run 'powershell Get-HotFix | Where-Object {$_.Description -like "Security Update"}' to list installed security patchesAffected if No security update containing the fix for CVE-2022-21876 (typically KB5009596 or subsequent cumulative security updates) is installed on the system
Your system is affected if it runs an affected Windows version (Windows 10, 11, Server 2012, 2016, 2019, or 2022) AND the win32k.sys file version predates the patched version or no corresponding security update is installed.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataDeploy the applicable Microsoft security update (typically delivered through Windows cumulative security patches) to address this vulnerability in affected Windows systems.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-21876 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-21876 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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