dbcve.org
Windows 10Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2022-22026

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-07-12
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
90/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 Client Server Run-time Subsystem (CSRSS) 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 an Elevation of Privilege vulnerability in the Windows Client Server Run-time Subsystem (CSRSS), a core Windows operating system component that manages console windows and the graphical subsystem. The vulnerability allows an authenticated attacker to gain higher privileges on the affected system, potentially achieving SYSTEM or administrative-level access.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2022-22026 via Windows Update or by deploying the relevant security patch through your organization's patch management system. Prioritize patching domain controllers and systems with exposed attack surfaces.

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
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 Server 2008Operating system
Affected:all versions= r2
Windows Server 2012Operating system
Affected:all versions= r2
Windows Server 2016Operating system
Affected:all versions= 20h2

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
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to determine the exact Windows version and build number
    Affected if The version falls outside the listed supported versions OR the version is listed as affected (Windows 10, 11, 7, 8.1, RT 8.1, Server 2008/2012/2016)
  2. Verify CSRSS subsystem is present
    Confirm the csrss.exe process is running or exists at %SystemRoot%\System32\csrss.exe
    Affected if The CSRSS component is present (required for the vulnerability to apply)
  3. Check for CVE-2022-22026 security update
    Open Settings > Windows Update > View update history, or run 'wmic qfe list' or 'Get-HotFix' in PowerShell to list installed updates
    Affected if The security update for CVE-2022-22026 is NOT installed - compare against Microsoft's security bulletin for this CVE to identify the required KB number for your specific Windows version
  4. Verify patch status via vulnerability scan
    If your organization uses vulnerability scanning tools (e.g., Qualys, Nessus, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint), run a scan targeting missing security updates or specifically CVE-2022-22026
    Affected if The scan reports CVE-2022-22026 as missing or unpatched

You are affected if your Windows version is among the affected products listed AND the CVE-2022-22026 security update has not been 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 update for CVE-2022-22026 via Windows Update or by deploying the relevant security patch through your organization's patch management system. Prioritize patching domain controllers and systems with exposed attack surfaces.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence
  1. Open Windows Update (Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update)
  2. Click 'Check for updates' to retrieve the latest security patches
  3. Install all available security updates, particularly any cumulative updates for your Windows version
  4. Restart the system after updates are installed
  5. Verify the vulnerability is mitigated by confirming the security update is listed in Windows Update history

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

Fix this in Windows 10 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,920
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,072.

Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-22026 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

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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-2022-22026 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