dbcve.org
Windows ServerOperating system · Microsoft

CVE-2022-21884

HIGH · 7.8 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 →
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
Local Security Authority Subsystem Service Elevation of Privilege 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 · high confidence

A local privilege escalation vulnerability in the Windows Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) that allows a local authenticated attacker to gain elevated (SYSTEM) privileges on the affected system by leveraging improper handling of memory objects.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security updates for CVE-2022-21884, released in January 2022 Windows security patches, to all affected Windows systems.

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 ServerOperating system
Affected:= 20h2= 2022
Windows Server 2008Operating system
Affected:all versions= r2
Windows Server 2012Operating system
Affected:all versions= r2
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
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. Identify the installed Windows Server version
    Run 'winver' from command prompt or check 'systeminfo' in Command Prompt and look at the 'OS Name' and 'OS Version' fields
    Affected if The version shown matches Windows Server 2008 (any version), Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019, or Windows Server 20H2/2022
  2. Check if the January 2022 security update is installed
    Open Control Panel > Programs > View installed updates, or run 'wmic qfe list' from Command Prompt, and look for KB5009543 (Windows Server 2019/2016/2012R2/2012) or KB5009545 (Windows Server 20H2) or the respective January 2022 security update for your specific Windows Server version
    Affected if The specific January 2022 security update for your Windows Server version is NOT listed among installed updates
  3. Verify the LSASS service is running
    Open Task Manager, go to the Services tab, or run 'sc query lsass' from Command Prompt
    Affected if The LSASS service is running (this is required for the vulnerability to be exploitable)
  4. Check the LSASS process patch status via registry
    Run 'reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Servicing\Security" /v InstalledServicePack' or check the servicing branch for installed patches
    Affected if The installed service pack or patch level is below the January 2022 security update

You are affected if your Windows Server version is one of the affected versions listed (2008 through 2022) AND the January 2022 security update for CVE-2022-21884 is not installed.

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 for CVE-2022-21884, released in January 2022 Windows security patches, to all affected Windows systems.

Recommended fix High confidence
  1. Open Windows Update on the affected server (Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update)
  2. Click 'Check for updates' to scan for the latest security patches
  3. Install all available security updates, particularly the January 2022 security updates
  4. Restart the server when prompted to complete the installation
  5. Verify the patch was installed by checking the installed updates or using the Windows Update History

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

Fix this in Windows Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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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-2022-21884 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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