dbcve.org
Windows 10Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2022-22000

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-02-09
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 Common Log File System Driver 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 · moderate confidence

A local privilege escalation vulnerability in the Windows Common Log File System (CLFS) kernel-mode driver allows a low-privileged attacker to gain SYSTEM-level code execution by exploiting improper handling of log file operations in kernel mode.

MitigationApply the relevant Microsoft Windows security update for CVE-2022-22000 or ensure all affected Windows systems are fully patched through Windows Update; kernel driver patches typically require system reboot.

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:= sp1
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. Identify Windows version
    Run 'systeminfo' or 'winver' from command prompt and note the Windows version and build number
    Affected if The version matches any of the affected products listed (Windows 10 various versions, Windows 11, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1, or Windows Server variants)
  2. Locate the CLFS driver file
    Verify the presence of clfs.sys at C:\Windows\System32\drivers\clfs.sys using 'dir C:\Windows\System32\drivers\clfs.sys'
    Affected if The file exists on the system (CLFS driver is present)
  3. Check CLFS driver version
    Right-click clfs.sys, select Properties, then Details to view the File Version; or run 'powershell (Get-Item C:\Windows\System32\drivers\clfs.sys).VersionInfo'
    Affected if The driver version is earlier than the version that includes the CVE-2022-22000 patch (compare against Microsoft's security bulletin for the fixed version)
  4. Verify security update is installed
    Run 'powershell Get-HotFix | Where-Object {$_.Description -match "Security Update"} | Select-Object HotFixID,Description,InstalledOn' and look for the specific KB article for CVE-2022-22000
    Affected if The specific security update for CVE-2022-22000 is NOT installed

The system is affected if it runs an affected Windows version and either lacks the CVE-2022-22000 security update or has a clfs.sys driver version prior to the patched version.

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 Windows security update for CVE-2022-22000 or ensure all affected Windows systems are fully patched through Windows Update; kernel driver patches typically require system reboot.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Apply Microsoft July 2022 Security Updates (KB5015827 and related updates for Windows 10/11 and Windows Server editions)

  1. Open Windows Update by clicking the Start button and selecting Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update
  2. Click 'Check for updates' to see if the July 2022 security updates are available
  3. If updates are available, click 'Install now' to install the security update containing the fix for CVE-2022-22000
  4. After the update is installed, restart your computer to complete the remediation
  5. Verify the update was installed by checking Windows Update history for the July 2022 security update
Caveat Standard Windows security update with no expected breaking changes; may require system restart

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
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,560
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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-2022-22000 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