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365 AppsApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2022-22004

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 →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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
Microsoft Office ClickToRun Remote Code Execution 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

Microsoft Office ClickToRun Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (CVSS 7.8). This is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft's ClickToRun virtualization and streaming technology used for Office installations, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code via specially crafted Office documents.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates for affected Microsoft Office/ClickToRun installations. Ensure patch management systems deploy the latest Office security updates.

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
365 AppsApplication
Affected:all versions
OfficeApplication
Affected:= 2013

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
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 Office is installed via ClickToRun
    Open Programs and Features (appwiz.cpl) and look for Microsoft Office entries that include 'ClickToRun' in the name, or check registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\ClickToRun\Configuration for existence
    Affected if The registry key exists or ClickToRun is listed in installed programs - this indicates a ClickToRun installation which is vulnerable
  2. Identify the installed Office version
    Open any Office application (Word, Excel), go to File > Account > About [App], or run 'winver' and cross-reference with Office version. Also check HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\ClickToRun\Configuration for VersionToReport value
    Affected if The version shown is Microsoft 365 Apps (any version) or Microsoft Office 2013 - both are within affected ranges
  3. Check ClickToRun component version
    Inspect the ClickToRun version by looking at the executable properties: right-click on the ClickToRun service executable in Task Manager, or check the OfficeClickToRun.exe file version in the installation directory (typically in Program Files\Microsoft Office or Office365 folder)
    Affected if The ClickToRun component version matches or falls within versions shipped with vulnerable Microsoft 365 or Office 2013 releases
  4. Confirm virtualization streaming feature is enabled
    ClickToRun inherently uses virtualization and streaming. Check if Office applications load from virtualized locations by examining HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\ClickToRun\Configuration for InstallPath and PlatformFolder values pointing to virtualized directories
    Affected if ClickToRun configuration exists and points to virtualized install paths - the vulnerability is present in the streaming technology itself

You are affected if Office is installed via ClickToRun (indicated by ClickToRun in Programs or the registry key) AND the version is Microsoft 365 Apps (any version) or Microsoft Office 2013, since both use the vulnerable ClickToRun virtualization component.

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 Microsoft security updates for affected Microsoft Office/ClickToRun installations. Ensure patch management systems deploy the latest Office security updates.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

July 2022 Security Updates (KB5001998 for Office 2013; Microsoft 365 Apps versions 2206 and later include the fix)

  1. Check current Microsoft Office version: Open any Office app, go to File > Account > About [App]
  2. For Office 2013: Navigate to Microsoft Update Catalog (catalog.update.microsoft.com) and search for 'KB5001998' or 'July 12, 2022 security update'
  3. Download and install the appropriate security update for your Office version and architecture (x86 or x64)
  4. Restart all Office applications after installing the update
  5. Verify the patch was applied by checking Windows Update history for 'Security Update for Microsoft Office 2013 (KB5001998)'
  6. For Microsoft 365 Apps: Updates are delivered automatically through ClickToRun; ensure auto-updates are enabled in File > Account > Office Updates
Caveat This is a standard security patch with no expected breaking changes; however, test mission-critical Office documents/macros after deployment as a best practice

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

Fix this in 365 Apps 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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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-2022-22004 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