CVE-2022-26904KEV · OVERDUE

Windows User Profile Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

High · published April 15, 2022

Patch now

Confirmed exploited, and the score agrees

CVSS calls it high at 7.0. It is confirmed in active exploitation. It sits in the 97.1th percentile for exploit probability.

1622
days past CISA
deadline
CVSS v3.1
7.0
EPSS
17%
Percentile
97.1
In the wild
Confirmed
What it is

🚨 A sneaky flaw in the Windows User Profile Service could grant elevation of privilege, paving the way for an attacker to take control! ⚡ Think of this as a hotel that mistakenly hands out master keys without verifying identities — suddenly, anyone could access any room, no questions asked! An attacker leveraging this vulnerability could escalate their privileges, gaining administrative access to the system. This means they could install malware, access sensitive data, or even make the entire system unusable — a nightmare scenario for users and admins alike!

Put simply

Think of this as a hotel that mistakenly hands out master keys without verifying identities — suddenly, anyone could access any room, no questions asked! This vulnerability stems from inadequate checks in the User Profile Service, allowing attackers to elevate their privileges and act with the same rights as trusted users.

What to do

An attacker leveraging this vulnerability could escalate their privileges, gaining administrative access to the system. This means they could install malware, access sensitive data, or even make the entire system unusable — a nightmare scenario for users and admins alike! To protect against this, ensure that systems are patched to the latest version by applying the update provided by Microsoft. Regularly review user permissions and implement strict access controls to mitigate potential exploit risks. You've got this! By staying proactive and following these steps, you’ll help secure your systems like a true security hero! 🛡️

The record
Technical detail
CVSS v3.1
7.0 · HIGH
Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:F/RL:O/RC:C
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.16948 · 97.1th percentile
Published
2022-04-15T19:05Z
KEV added
2022-04-25 · due 2022-05-16
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 25 APR 00:00Z
    Added to CISA KEV — remediate by May 16
    kev
  • 15 APR 19:05Z
    Windows User Profile Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
    cvelistv5