dbcve.org
Windows 10Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2022-41050

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-11-09
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 Extensible File Allocation Table 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 elevation of privilege vulnerability in the Windows Extensible File Allocation Table (ExFAT) filesystem driver. An attacker with low-level privileges could exploit this to gain higher system-level access, likely by manipulating filesystem operations in the ExFAT driver.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates for CVE-2022-41050 to all affected Windows systems. Prioritize endpoints and servers running ExFAT-formatted volumes.

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= 22h2= 1607= 1809
Windows 11Operating system
Affected:all versions= 22h2
Windows Server 2016Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2019Operating system
Affected:all versions
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 if ExFAT volumes are in use
    Open Command Prompt and run 'mountvol' to list mounted volumes, then run 'fsutil fsinfo volumeinfo <drive letter>:' for each volume to check the filesystem type. Alternatively, open Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc) and look at the filesystem column for each volume.
    Affected if Any volume on the system is formatted with ExFAT and mounted
  2. Confirm Windows version falls within affected range
    Run 'winver' from the Start menu or run 'systeminfo' in Command Prompt and look at the OS Name and OS Version lines. Compare the version/build number against the listed affected versions: Windows 10 (1607, 1809, 20h2, 21h1, 21h2, 22h2), Windows 11 (22h2), Windows Server 2016, 2019, 2022.
    Affected if The installed Windows version matches any of the affected versions listed in the CVE
  3. Verify the security update is not installed
    Run 'wmic qfe list' or 'Get-HotFix' in PowerShell to list installed updates. Search for the patch associated with CVE-2022-41050 (typically released in November 2022). Check if KB5019966 (Windows 10 22h2) or the corresponding KB for your specific Windows version is absent from the installed updates list.
    Affected if The system is missing the CVE-2022-41050 security update for your specific Windows version

A system is affected if it runs a vulnerable Windows version, has ExFAT volumes mounted, and lacks the November 2022 security update for CVE-2022-41050.

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 Microsoft security updates for CVE-2022-41050 to all affected Windows systems. Prioritize endpoints and servers running ExFAT-formatted volumes.

Recommended fix High confidence

Windows 10 version 22h2 / Windows 11 version 22h2 / Windows Server 2022 with October 2022 security updates applied

  1. Open Windows Settings by pressing Win + I
  2. Navigate to Update & Security > Windows Update
  3. Click 'Check for updates' to download and install the latest security updates
  4. Restart your computer when prompted to complete the installation
  5. Verify the update was installed by checking Windows Update history for the relevant security patch (October 2022 Security Updates)

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
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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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-2022-41050 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