dbcve.org
Windows 10Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2022-21885

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
Windows Remote Access Connection Manager 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

This is a local Elevation of Privilege vulnerability in Windows Remote Access Connection Manager (Rasman). A low-privileged local attacker can exploit improper validation or memory handling in the service to gain SYSTEM-level code execution, achieving full administrative control over the affected system.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security update (KB5012349 or subsequent patches) to address this vulnerability in Windows Remote Access Connection Manager, or ensure systems are fully patched through regular Windows Update maintenance.

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:all versions= r2
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
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 Rasman service presence
    Open Services (services.msc) or run 'sc query Rasman' in Command Prompt to confirm the Remote Access Connection Manager service exists on the system.
    Affected if The Rasman service exists on the system - without this service the vulnerability cannot be exploited.
  2. Confirm Windows version is in affected range
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo' to identify the installed Windows version and build number. Compare against the listed affected versions: Windows 10 (20h2, 21h1, 21h2, 1607, 1809, 1909), Windows 11 (all), Windows 7 (all), Windows 8.1 (all), Windows Rt 8.1 (all), Windows Server 20h2/2022, Windows Server 2008 (all/r2), Windows Server 2012 (all/r2).
    Affected if The installed Windows version matches one of the affected versions listed in the CVE.
  3. Check for security patch KB5012349
    Run 'wmic qfe get hotfixid,installedon' or check Windows Update history in Settings > Windows Update > Update history for security update KB5012349 (January 2022) or subsequent patches addressing this vulnerability.
    Affected if The security update KB5012349 is NOT installed - the system remains vulnerable.
  4. Verify Rasman service binary version
    Locate the Rasman.exe binary (typically in C:\Windows\System32\) and check its file version. Right-click > Properties > Details to view the version, or run 'dir C:\Windows\System32\rasman.exe' to see the timestamp and version information.
    Affected if The binary version predates the January 2022 patch date without the KB5012349 update applied.

A system is affected if it runs a vulnerable Windows version from the affected list, has the Rasman service present, and is missing the KB5012349 security update.

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 update (KB5012349 or subsequent patches) to address this vulnerability in Windows Remote Access Connection Manager, or ensure systems are fully patched through regular Windows Update maintenance.

Recommended fix High confidence

January 2022 Windows Security Updates (or later)

  1. Identify the installed Windows version and build by running 'winver' or 'systeminfo'
  2. Open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and check for updates
  3. Alternatively, manually download the applicable security update from the Microsoft Catalog (https://catalog.update.microsoft.com) for your specific Windows version
  4. For CVE-2022-21885, install the corresponding January 2022 Security Update (KB5011547 for Windows 10 21h2, KB5011487 for Windows 10 21h1, KB5011485 for Windows 10 20h2, or version-specific KB for other editions)
  5. Restart the system after applying the update
  6. Verify the patch was installed successfully by checking Windows Update history or running 'Get-HotFix' in PowerShell
Caveat Standard Windows security patches rarely introduce breaking changes; test in non-production environment before broad deployment to ensure compatibility with line-of-business applications

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
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2022-21885 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