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Sql ServerApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2022-23276

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
SQL Server for Linux Containers 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

This is an elevation of privilege vulnerability in SQL Server running on Linux containers. The vulnerability could allow an attacker with limited permissions to gain higher privileges within the SQL Server container environment.

MitigationApply the latest security update for SQL Server on Linux containers or upgrade to a patched container image version.

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
Sql ServerApplication
Affected:= 2019

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 SQL Server deployment method
    Check if SQL Server is running inside a Linux container by inspecting running processes or using container runtime commands (docker ps, podman ps, or similar tools). Look for Microsoft SQL Server processes running within containerized environments.
    Affected if SQL Server is confirmed to be running inside a Linux container
  2. Verify SQL Server version
    Connect to the SQL Server instance (using sqlcmd or a database client) and run SELECT @@VERSION to retrieve the exact build version. Compare this version against the affected release of SQL Server 2019.
    Affected if The installed version is SQL Server 2019 (any build within the 2019 release family)
  3. Confirm container host environment
    Check the container host operating system by running commands inside the container (cat /etc/os-release or uname -a) to verify it is a Linux-based host.
    Affected if The container host is running Linux
  4. Assess running user context
    Check the user context SQL Server is running as inside the container. Inspect process information (ps aux | grep sqlservr) or query SELECT CURRENT_USER from within SQL Server to identify if the service is running with elevated or limited permissions.
    Affected if SQL Server is running with a service account that has permissions susceptible to privilege escalation

A user is affected if SQL Server 2019 is running inside a Linux container environment and the vulnerability allows an attacker with limited permissions to elevate privileges within that container.

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 latest security update for SQL Server on Linux containers or upgrade to a patched container image version.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

SQL Server 2019 CU 18 (or later) – container image tag 2019-CU18-ubuntu-20.04 or newer (e.g., 2019-latest)

  1. Pull the latest SQL Server 2019 container image from the Microsoft Container Registry (MCR), for example: docker pull mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2019-latest or a specific updated tag such as 2019-CU18-ubuntu-20.04.
  2. Stop the currently running SQL Server container (docker stop <container_id>).
  3. Remove the old container if desired (docker rm <container_id>), ensuring you have a backup of your data volumes.
  4. Start a new container using the updated image with the same environment variables, volume mounts, ports, and other configuration options you previously used.
  5. Verify that SQL Server starts successfully and that your databases are accessible (e.g., run SELECT @@VERSION to confirm the updated CU version).
  6. If you use Kubernetes or another orchestrator, update the image reference in your deployment YAML to the new tag and apply the changes.
Caveat No breaking changes; the upgrade is a patch update, but back up your databases before updating.

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

Fix this in Sql Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2022-23276 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