CVE-2022-34699
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 · uneditedWindows Win32k 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 confidenceThis is a privilege escalation vulnerability in the Windows Win32k.sys kernel-mode graphics subsystem driver. It allows a low-privileged local attacker to gain elevated SYSTEM-level privileges by exploiting improper validation or handling within the Win32k graphical subsystem components.
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 dataall versions= 20h2= 21h1= 21h2= 1607= 1809all versionsall versions= 20h2all versionsall versionsCVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Windows version and buildRun 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to obtain the exact Windows version and build numberAffected if The system runs Windows 10 (any build), Windows 11 (any build), Windows Server 2016/2019/2022 (any build)
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Confirm Win32k.sys is in useVerify the system uses the Win32k graphics subsystem by checking that win32k.sys exists in C:\Windows\System32\drivers\Affected if The win32k.sys driver file is present on the system (standard for all affected Windows versions)
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Check for security update statusRun 'systeminfo' and look at the 'Hotfix(s)' field, or use 'wmic qfe list' to enumerate installed Windows updates. Cross-reference with Microsoft's security bulletin for this CVE to identify the required KB patchAffected if The specific security update for CVE-2022-34699 is NOT installed or the installed updates do not include the vulnerability fix
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Verify system is unpatchedQuery the Windows Update history via Settings > Windows Update > View update history, or use 'Get-HotFix' in PowerShell to confirm the CVE-specific patch is absentAffected if No corresponding security patch from Microsoft's August 2022 or later updates is found on the system
The system is affected if it runs any version of Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server 2016, 2019, or 2022 and lacks the corresponding security update for CVE-2022-34699.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataApply the relevant Microsoft Windows security update(s) for this CVE. Prioritize patching affected systems given the high CVSS score and local privilege escalation vector.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,040.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-34699 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-34699 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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