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Windows 10Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2022-24488

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 Desktop Bridge 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 a local privilege escalation vulnerability in Windows Desktop Bridge (the infrastructure for packaging desktop applications as MSIX packages). The vulnerability allows an authenticated attacker with low privileges to elevate to SYSTEM level, likely through improper validation or access control within the Desktop Bridge component.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security updates for CVE-2022-24488, which are included in the February 2022 Windows security updates. Verify that Desktop Bridge applications are not deployed with overly permissive configurations.

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:= 20h2= 21h1= 21h2
Windows 11Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2016Operating system
Affected:= 20h2
Windows Server 2022Operating system
Affected:all versions

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. Check Windows version
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to identify the exact Windows version and build
    Affected if The version is Windows 10 20h2, 21h1, or 21h2; Windows 11 any version; Windows Server 2016 20h2; or Windows Server 2022 any version
  2. Verify Desktop Bridge component presence
    Check for the presence of AppX Deployment Service (AppXSVC) and related components by running 'Get-Service AppXSVC' in PowerShell or checking Registry key 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModel\State'
    Affected if Desktop Bridge infrastructure (AppXSVC) is installed and available on the system
  3. Identify installed Desktop Bridge applications
    Run 'Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers' in PowerShell to list all MSIX/AppX packages installed via Desktop Bridge
    Affected if Any MSIX or AppX packages are installed, especially those with elevated or privileged configurations
  4. Check for overly permissive Desktop Bridge configurations
    Review permissions on the AppX package installation directories under '%ProgramFiles%\WindowsApps' and check package manifest capabilities using 'Get-AppxPackageManifest <packagename>' for any that request elevated privileges or system access
    Affected if Any installed Desktop Bridge applications have privileged capabilities or overly permissive file/registry access permissions
  5. Verify AppContainer and sandboxing configuration
    Run 'Get-Process | Where-Object {$_.AppContainerName}' to identify processes running in AppContainer context, and check registry 'HKCU\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppContainer\Storage' for AppContainer configurations
    Affected if Desktop Bridge applications are running with insufficient sandboxing or with configurations that allow privilege escalation paths

The system is affected if it runs any affected Windows version (10 20h2/21h1/21h2, Windows 11, Server 2016 20h2, or Server 2022) AND has Desktop Bridge applications installed with permissive configurations that allow low-privilege users to access SYSTEM-level resources.

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 updates for CVE-2022-24488, which are included in the February 2022 Windows security updates. Verify that Desktop Bridge applications are not deployed with overly permissive configurations.

Recommended fix High confidence

Install February 2022 Microsoft Security Updates (or later) for your Windows version

  1. Open Windows Settings and navigate to Update & Security > Windows Update
  2. Click 'Check for updates' to download and install the latest security updates
  3. If automatic updates are disabled, manually install the February 2022 security updates (KB5010351 for Windows 10 20H2/21H1/21H2, KB5010386 for Windows 11, KB5010342 for Windows Server 2022)
  4. Restart the system after installing updates
  5. Verify the update was installed by checking Windows Update history
Caveat Standard Windows update - minimal risk; may require 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
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2022-24488 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