SYSTEM privilege escalation via unchecked directory junctions
Published Jan 11, 2022 · Updated Oct 21, 2025
Elevation of privilege in Microsoft Windows User Profile Service allows local users to execute code with SYSTEM privileges. The CreateDirectoryJunction path insufficiently validates junction targets, letting a temporary profile tree redirect privileged file creation into protected directories. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access; successful abuse turns privileged profile operations into arbitrary code execution.
Summary
What happened
Elevation of privilege in Microsoft Windows User Profile Service allows local users to execute code with SYSTEM privileges. The CreateDirectoryJunction path insufficiently validates junction targets, letting a temporary profile tree redirect privileged file creation into protected directories. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access; successful abuse turns privileged profile operations into arbitrary code execution.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-21919
- Published
- Jan 11, 2022
- Updated
- Oct 21, 2025
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Windows 10 Version 1507
- Classifications
- CWE-59, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 11, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 25, 2022Exploitation reportedCISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog entry
- Oct 21, 2025Record 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?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=10.0.10240.0 <10.0.10240.19177
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
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.
Reported exploitation
- CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog entryknown exploited catalog
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