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Elements Endpoint ProtectionApplication · F Secure

CVE-2022-38166

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-11-25
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
In F-Secure Endpoint Protection for Windows and macOS before channel with Capricorn database 2022-11-22_07, the aerdl.dll unpacker handler crashes. This can lead to a scanning engine crash, triggerable remotely by an attacker for denial of service.

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

In F-Secure Endpoint Protection for Windows and macOS before the Capricorn database version 2022-11-22_07, the aerdl.dll unpacker handler contains a flaw that causes a crash. This vulnerability can be triggered remotely during scanning operations, leading to a denial of service condition via scanning engine failure.

MitigationUpdate F-Secure Endpoint Protection for Windows and macOS to the channel with Capricorn database 2022-11-22_07 or later to remediate the 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
Elements Endpoint ProtectionApplication
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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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. Verify F-Secure Endpoint Protection is installed
    Check for the presence of F-Secure Endpoint Protection software on the system through the installed programs list or the F-Secure product directory (typically in Program Files or Application folders)
    Affected if The product is installed and the version cannot be determined or is listed as any version prior to the patched release
  2. Locate the Capricorn database version
    Find and inspect the F-Secure scanning engine or database version information - this is typically accessible through the product's about section, logs, or the fsdiag tool output
    Affected if The Capricorn database version is visible and is earlier than 2022-11-22_07
  3. Confirm the product version
    Retrieve the exact product version of F-Secure Endpoint Protection for Windows or macOS from the installed application details or registry (Windows) or Application folder (macOS)
    Affected if The installed product version corresponds to a release that shipped with a database earlier than 2022-11-22_07
  4. Verify scanning engine is operational
    Confirm the F-Secure real-time or on-demand scanning engine is enabled and functional on the endpoint
    Affected if The scanning engine is active and the database version is below 2022-11-22_07, making the system vulnerable to the crash condition during scans

An environment is affected if F-Secure Endpoint Protection is installed with a Capricorn database version earlier than 2022-11-22_07 and the scanning engine is enabled, as this combination triggers the crash in aerdl.dll during scanning operations.

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

Update F-Secure Endpoint Protection for Windows and macOS to the channel with Capricorn database 2022-11-22_07 or later to remediate the vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Latest version with Capricorn database 2022-11-22_07 or later

  1. Update F-Secure/WithSecure Endpoint Protection to the latest available version
  2. Ensure the Capricorn security database version 2022-11-22_07 or later is applied
  3. Restart the scanning engine or endpoint to load the updated definitions
  4. Verify the update was successful by checking the database version in the product interface

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

Fix this in Elements Endpoint Protection Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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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-2022-38166 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