CVE-2022-1256

SYSTEM privilege escalation via repair symlink redirection

Published Apr 14, 2022 · Updated Aug 2, 2024

Local privilege escalation in McAfee Agent for Windows before 5.7.6 allows local users to gain SYSTEM privileges through repair. The repair workflow performs temporary-file operations in the local user's %TEMP% directory with SYSTEM rights and follows attacker-controlled symbolic links. A low-privileged local account can redirect those privileged file operations, gaining full system control without user interaction.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.26%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Local privilege escalation in McAfee Agent for Windows before 5.7.6 allows local users to gain SYSTEM privileges through repair. The repair workflow performs temporary-file operations in the local user's %TEMP% directory with SYSTEM rights and follows attacker-controlled symbolic links. A low-privileged local account can redirect those privileged file operations, gaining full system control without user interaction.

The record

CVE
CVE-2022-1256
Published
Apr 14, 2022
Updated
Aug 2, 2024
Vendor
McAfee
Product
McAfee Agent
Classifications
CWE-269, CWE-59, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Apr 14, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 2, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=unspecified <5.7.6

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

McAfee · McAfee Agentversion=unspecified <5.7.6

Published CVSS scores

7.8TrellixCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
7.2NIST NVDAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
7.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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 exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-269Improper Privilege Management
CWE-59Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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