Privilege escalation via fallback module search paths
Published Apr 15, 2022 · Updated Jan 2, 2025
Elevation of privilege in PowerShell 7.0 before 7.0.10, 7.1 before 7.1.7, and 7.2 before 7.2.3 allows local users to gain higher privileges. When .NET returns no path for certain profile folders, the module-path builder still includes those folders, causing PowerShell to search current-directory locations for modules. A low-privileged local user must place a malicious module in a searched location; loading it runs code with the privileges of a more privileged PowerShell process.
Summary
What happened
Elevation of privilege in PowerShell 7.0 before 7.0.10, 7.1 before 7.1.7, and 7.2 before 7.2.3 allows local users to gain higher privileges. When .NET returns no path for certain profile folders, the module-path builder still includes those folders, causing PowerShell to search current-directory locations for modules. A low-privileged local user must place a malicious module in a searched location; loading it runs code with the privileges of a more privileged PowerShell process.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-26788
- Published
- Apr 15, 2022
- Updated
- Jan 2, 2025
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Windows 10 Version 1507
- Classifications
- T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Apr 15, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jan 2, 2025Record 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.
- Affected versionversion=10.0.10240.0 <10.0.10240.19265
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
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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