dbcve.org
Windows 10Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2022-24481

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-04-15
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

This is an elevation of privilege vulnerability in the Windows Common Log File System (CLFS) driver. An authenticated attacker could exploit this vulnerability in the kernel-mode driver to gain SYSTEM-level privileges, escalating from a low-privileged user account to full administrative control of the affected system.

MitigationApply the relevant Windows security update from Microsoft's February 2022 patch Tuesday to patch the CLFS driver vulnerability.

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 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
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 'winver' from the Start menu or execute 'systeminfo' in Command Prompt and note the OS name and build number
    Affected if The reported version matches any of the affected products listed (Windows 10 versions 1607, 1809, 1909, 20h2, 21h1, 21h2; Windows 11 all versions; Windows 7 all versions; Windows 8.1 all versions; Windows RT 8.1; Windows Server 2008/2008 R2; Windows Server 2012/2012 R2; Windows Server 2016/2016 20h2
  2. Confirm CLFS driver presence
    Open Command Prompt or PowerShell and run 'sc query clfs' to query the Windows Common Log File System driver service status
    Affected if The CLFS driver service exists and is running (state: RUNNING) - the vulnerability exists in this driver and requires it to be present and active
  3. Check for February 2022 or later security updates
    Open Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features > View installed updates, or run 'wmic qfe list' in Command Prompt, and look for any Windows security updates installed after February 2022
    Affected if No security updates from February 2022 Patch Tuesday or later are installed - the system is likely unpatched and vulnerable

A system is affected if it runs any of the listed Windows versions, has the CLFS driver active, and lacks the February 2022 security update that addresses this elevation of privilege vulnerability.

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 Windows security update from Microsoft's February 2022 patch Tuesday to patch the CLFS driver vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

February 2022 Windows Security Updates (KB5010351 and corresponding server KBs)

  1. Check installed Windows version by running 'winver' or 'systeminfo' in Command Prompt
  2. Open Windows Update by pressing Windows Key + I, navigating to Update & Security > Windows Update
  3. Click 'Check for updates' to retrieve the latest security patches
  4. Install all available security updates, particularly those from February 2022 or later
  5. Restart the computer when prompted to complete the installation
  6. Verify the update installed successfully by checking Windows Update history or running 'systeminfo' to confirm the OS build number reflects the patch

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

Fix this in Windows 10 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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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-2022-24481 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