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Vnc ServerApplication · Realvnc

CVE-2022-41975

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-09-30
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.11.0 / 6.22.826 or later.
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
RealVNC VNC Server before 6.11.0 and VNC Viewer before 6.22.826 on Windows allow local privilege escalation via MSI installer Repair mode.

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

RealVNC VNC Server before 6.11.0 and VNC Viewer before 6.22.826 on Windows contain a vulnerability in the MSI installer where the Repair mode can be exploited to achieve local privilege escalation, allowing an unprivileged local user to execute code with elevated (SYSTEM) privileges.

MitigationUpgrade VNC Server to version 6.11.0 or later, and VNC Viewer to version 6.22.826 or later. Alternatively, restrict access to the repair functionality or limit local user permissions where feasible.

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
Vnc ServerApplication
Affected:< 6.11.0
Vnc ViewerApplication
Affected:< 6.22.826

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 RealVNC VNC Server is installed
    Open Windows Settings > Apps > Apps & features, or run 'Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product' in PowerShell to list installed software. Look for 'VNC Server' or 'RealVNC' entries.
    Affected if VNC Server is listed with a version below 6.11.0
  2. Check if RealVNC VNC Viewer is installed
    Open Windows Settings > Apps > Apps & features, or run 'Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product' in PowerShell. Look for 'VNC Viewer' or 'RealVNC' entries.
    Affected if VNC Viewer is listed with a version below 6.22.826
  3. Obtain exact version number of VNC Server
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features, right-click on VNC Server and select Properties, or run 'vncserver -help' or check the executable version via right-click on the .exe file and viewing Details tab.
    Affected if Version starts with a number lower than 6.11.0 (for example 6.10.0, 6.9.0, etc.)
  4. Obtain exact version number of VNC Viewer
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features, right-click on VNC Viewer and select Properties, or run 'vnchelp' or check the executable version via right-click on the .exe file and viewing Details tab.
    Affected if Version starts with a number lower than 6.22.826 (for example 6.22.0, 6.21.0, etc.)

You are affected if either VNC Server version is below 6.11.0 OR VNC Viewer version is below 6.22.826, since both products contain the vulnerable MSI installer repair mode.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 6.11.0 / 6.22.826 or later
Fixed in 6.11.06.22.826
Interim mitigation

Upgrade VNC Server to version 6.11.0 or later, and VNC Viewer to version 6.22.826 or later. Alternatively, restrict access to the repair functionality or limit local user permissions where feasible.

Recommended fix High confidence

VNC Server 6.11.0+ and VNC Viewer 6.22.826+

  1. Identify all installations of RealVNC VNC Server on Windows systems and note their current versions
  2. If VNC Server version is below 6.11.0, download and install VNC Server version 6.11.0 or later from the official RealVNC website
  3. Identify all installations of RealVNC VNC Viewer on Windows systems and note their current versions
  4. If VNC Viewer version is below 6.22.826, download and install VNC Viewer version 6.22.826 or later from the official RealVNC website
  5. Verify the installed versions match or exceed the fixed releases after installation
  6. Restart any running VNC services if required for the update to take effect

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

Fix this in Vnc Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.

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-2022-41975 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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