dbcve.org
Windows 10Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2022-21880

HIGH · 7.5 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 →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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 GDI+ 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 confidence

Windows GDI+ contains an information disclosure vulnerability that allows an attacker to potentially read sensitive information from memory through the graphics rendering subsystem. The vulnerability stems from how GDI+ handles certain graphical operations or data structures.

MitigationApply the relevant Microsoft security update for this vulnerability. Ensure Windows systems are patched through regular patch management processes.

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 7Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 8.1Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Rt 8.1Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows ServerOperating system
Affected:= 20h2= 2022
Windows Server 2008Operating system
Affected:= r2= sp2
Windows Server 2012Operating system
Affected:all versions= r2

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checks

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

  1. Identify Windows version
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to determine the exact Windows version and build number
    Affected if Version matches any of the affected releases: Windows 10 (20h2, 21h1, 21h2, 1607, 1809, 1909), Windows 11 (all), Windows 7 (all), Windows 8.1 (all), Windows Rt 8.1, Windows Server 20h2/2022, Windows Server 2008 r2/sp2, Windows Server 2012 (all/r2)
  2. Check GDI+ component presence
    GDI+ (gdiplus.dll) is a core Windows graphics component. Verify its presence by checking C:\Windows\System32\gdiplus.dll exists. The vulnerability affects any application using GDI+ for graphics rendering.
    Affected if gdiplus.dll exists on the system and graphics applications are in use
  3. Verify security update KB5001402 is installed
    Run 'wmic qfe list' or 'Get-HotFix | Where-Object {$_.HotFixID -eq "KB5001402"}' in PowerShell to check if the February 2022 security update addressing this CVE is installed
    Affected if The security update KB5001402 (or subsequent cumulative updates containing the fix) is NOT installed
  4. Check for subsequent patched state
    Run 'Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_QuickFixEngineering' to list all installed security updates. For Windows 10/11, also check that the system has installed updates released after February 2022.
    Affected if System lacks security updates from February 2022 or later cumulative update rollups

A system is affected if it runs any of the listed Windows versions, uses GDI+ graphics functionality, and is missing the KB5001402 or later security updates containing the GDI+ information disclosure fix.

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 relevant Microsoft security update for this vulnerability. Ensure Windows systems are patched through regular patch management processes.

Recommended fix High confidence
  1. Open Windows Update (Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update) and check for updates
  2. Locate and install the January 2022 security updates from Microsoft
  3. Restart the system after installing the update
  4. Alternatively, download the specific security update from the Microsoft Update Catalog by searching for KB5009595 (Windows 10 21h2/Server 2022), KB5009596 (Windows 10 20h2/21h1), KB5008695 (Windows 11), or the appropriate KB for your Windows version
  5. Verify the update was installed successfully by checking the installed updates list

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

Fix this in Windows 10 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2022-21880 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