CVE-2021-44226Public exploit

Local privilege escalation via DLL hijacking

Published Mar 23, 2022 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Razer Synapse before 3.7.0228.022817 allows local Windows users to obtain SYSTEM privileges via a crafted DLL loaded during driver installation. The elevated Razer Synapse Service dynamically loads libraries from a ProgramData directory that an unprivileged user can pre-create and control, enabling DLL hijacking when the service starts. Exploitation requires a local unprivileged account, physical access, and preparation before Synapse or a Razer driver is installed; successful code execution runs with SYSTEM privileges.

CVSS severity7.3
High
EPSS probability0.90%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Razer Synapse before 3.7.0228.022817 allows local Windows users to obtain SYSTEM privileges via a crafted DLL loaded during driver installation. The elevated Razer Synapse Service dynamically loads libraries from a ProgramData directory that an unprivileged user can pre-create and control, enabling DLL hijacking when the service starts. Exploitation requires a local unprivileged account, physical access, and preparation before Synapse or a Razer driver is installed; successful code execution runs with SYSTEM privileges.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-44226
Published
Mar 23, 2022
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-427, CWE-269, T1574.002
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 23, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 4, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

6.9NVDAV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
7.3NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-427CWE-427 Uncontrolled Search Path Element
CWE-269CWE-269 Improper Privilege Management
T1574.002DLL Side-Loading

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo