dbcve.org
Windows 10 20h2Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2023-21733

HIGH · 7.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-01-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
72/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 Bind Filter Driver 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

A vulnerability in the Windows Bind Filter Driver allows a local authenticated attacker to elevate privileges to SYSTEM level. The Bind Filter Driver handles network binding operations in Windows, and this EoP flaw enables a low-privileged user to gain administrative access.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2023-21733 via Windows Update or WSUS. Prioritize patching endpoints that allow local user access, as this is a local privilege escalation 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
Windows 10 20h2Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 10 21h2Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 10 22h2Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 11 21h2Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 11 22h2Operating 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
High
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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. Confirm Windows version matches affected products
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' and verify the version is Windows 10 20h2, 21h2, or 22h2, Windows 11 21h2 or 22h2, or Windows Server 2022
    Affected if The installed version is one of these products and the system is not fully patched
  2. Check if the CVE-2023-21733 security update is installed
    Run 'wmic qfe get hotfixid,installdate' or open Settings > Windows Update > View update history and look for the February 2023 security update (KB5022845 for Windows 10/11 22h2/Server 2022, KB5022844 for Windows 11 21h2)
    Affected if The corresponding security update for this CVE is NOT installed on the system
  3. Verify bindflt.sys driver version
    Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\bindflt.sys, right-click > Properties > Details to check the file version, or run 'driverquery /v | findstr bindflt'
    Affected if The driver version is older than the patched version included in the February 2023 security updates

A user is affected if they are running any of the listed Windows versions AND the February 2023 security updates (KB5022844 or KB5022845) are not installed.

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 the Microsoft security update for CVE-2023-21733 via Windows Update or WSUS. Prioritize patching endpoints that allow local user access, as this is a local privilege escalation vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence
  1. Check installed Windows version by running 'winver' or 'systeminfo' in command prompt
  2. Open Windows Update by going to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update
  3. Click 'Check for updates' to see available updates
  4. Install the appropriate January 2023 security update: For Windows 10 20H2/21H2/22H2 install KB5022282; For Windows 11 21H2/22H2 install KB5022365; For Windows Server 2022 install KB5022913
  5. Alternatively, manually download and install updates from Microsoft Update Catalog using the respective KB number
  6. Restart the system after installing the update
  7. Verify the update was installed successfully by checking 'View update history' in Windows Update settings

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

Fix this in Windows 10 20h2 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.

Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2023-21733 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