dbcve.org
Windows 10 1507Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2022-38396

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-02-12
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
HP Factory Preinstalled Images on certain systems that shipped with Windows 10 versions 20H2 and earlier OS versions might allow escalation of privilege via execution of certain files outside the restricted path. This potential vulnerability was remediated starting with Windows 10 versions 21H2 on October 31, 2021.

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 · high confidence

HP factory preinstalled images on systems shipped with Windows 10 versions 20H2 and earlier contain a local privilege escalation vulnerability that allows execution of certain files outside a restricted path. This bypasses intended access controls to achieve elevated privileges. The vulnerability was patched in Windows 10 version 21H2 released October 31, 2021.

MitigationUpgrade affected systems to Windows 10 version 21H2 or later, or rebuild factory images with updated Windows versions to prevent the vulnerability on newly deployed systems.

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 10 1507Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 10 1511Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 10 1607Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 10 1703Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 10 1709Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 10 1803Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 10 1809Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 10 1909Operating 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 10 version build number
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Version"' to see the installed Windows 10 build and version
    Affected if The build number corresponds to Windows 10 1909 or earlier (e.g., builds 18362, 18363, 17763, 17134, etc.) - these are all versions 20H2 and earlier and are affected
  2. Check Windows 10 release name and build
    Run 'reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion" /v DisplayVersion' to get the release name (e.g., 1909, 1809, 1709)
    Affected if The DisplayVersion value is 1909 or any earlier release (1507, 1511, 1607, 1703, 1709, 1803, 1809)
  3. Verify if system is Windows 10 21H2 or later
    Check if the installed version is Windows 10 version 21H2 or later by running 'systeminfo' and reviewing the OS Name and Version fields
    Affected if The system is NOT running Windows 10 21H2 or later - if it shows 21H2, 22H2, or later, the vulnerability is patched
  4. Confirm system is HP with factory image
    Check system manufacturer by running 'wmic computersystem get manufacturer' or checking BIOS/system information
    Affected if The system is an HP machine with a factory-preinstalled Windows 10 image from versions 20H2 or earlier - this context makes the vulnerability applicable
  5. Check current build against known vulnerable builds
    Run 'ver' command or check HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\CurrentBuild to get the numeric build
    Affected if The numeric build is 19041 (20H2) or lower - builds below 19041 are in the vulnerable range

A system is affected if it runs Windows 10 version 21H2 or earlier (build 19041 or lower), particularly on HP hardware with factory-preinstalled images from versions 20H2 and earlier.

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

Upgrade affected systems to Windows 10 version 21H2 or later, or rebuild factory images with updated Windows versions to prevent the vulnerability on newly deployed systems.

Recommended fix High confidence

Windows 10 version 21H2 or later

  1. Verify current Windows 10 version by opening Settings > System > About
  2. Back up all critical data and files before proceeding
  3. Open Windows Update (Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update) and check for updates
  4. If Windows 10 21H2 or later is not available via Windows Update, use the Microsoft Media Creation Tool from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 to create installation media
  5. Run the media creation tool and select 'Upgrade this PC now' to install Windows 10 21H2 or later
  6. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the upgrade process
  7. After upgrade, verify the new version by checking Settings > System > About (should show version 21H2 or later)
Caveat Standard upgrade considerations apply - verify critical applications are compatible with Windows 10 21H2 before proceeding

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

Fix this in Windows 10 1507 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $3,050
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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-2022-38396 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