Local privilege escalation via DLL search order
Published Jul 14, 2022 · Updated Apr 30, 2025
Uncontrolled search path element in node.exe in Node.js affected releases allows local users to gain elevated privileges via a crafted DLL. When OpenSSL is installed with C:\Program Files\Common Files\SSL\openssl.cnf present, node.exe searches the current user directory for providers.dll before applying the normal Windows DLL search order. A local attacker who can place that DLL can cause Node.js to load attacker-controlled code and obtain elevated privileges.
Summary
What happened
Uncontrolled search path element in node.exe in Node.js affected releases allows local users to gain elevated privileges via a crafted DLL. When OpenSSL is installed with C:\Program Files\Common Files\SSL\openssl.cnf present, node.exe searches the current user directory for providers.dll before applying the normal Windows DLL search order. A local attacker who can place that DLL can cause Node.js to load attacker-controlled code and obtain elevated privileges.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-32223
- Published
- Jul 14, 2022
- Updated
- Apr 30, 2025
- Vendor
- Node.js
- Product
- Node.js
- Classifications
- CWE-427, T1574.001
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 14, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 30, 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 <10.*
- Affected versionversion=11.0 <11.*
- Affected versionversion=12.0 <12.*
- Affected versionversion=13.0 <13.*
- Affected versionversion=14.0 <14.20.0
- Affected versionversion=15.0 <15.*
- Affected versionversion=16.0 <16.20.0
- Affected versionversion=17.0 <17.*
- Affected versionversion=18.0 <18.5.0
- Affected versionversion=4.0 <4.*
- Affected versionversion=5.0 <5.*
- Affected versionversion=6.0 <6.*
- Affected versionversion=7.0 <7.*
- Affected versionversion=8.0 <8.*
- Affected versionversion=9.0 <9.*
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
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.
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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