Local SYSTEM execution via Group Policy symlink
Published Sep 13, 2022 · Updated Mar 11, 2025
Windows Group Policy Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability in Microsoft Windows allows local users to gain SYSTEM privileges via a crafted symbolic link. The Group Policy Preference Client follows an attacker-created link and creates an arbitrary file, enabling code execution in the SYSTEM context. Exploitation requires low-privileged local code execution and a Group Policy setting that triggers the vulnerable client; the impact is local confidentiality, integrity, and availability loss.
Summary
What happened
Windows Group Policy Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability in Microsoft Windows allows local users to gain SYSTEM privileges via a crafted symbolic link. The Group Policy Preference Client follows an attacker-created link and creates an arbitrary file, enabling code execution in the SYSTEM context. Exploitation requires low-privileged local code execution and a Group Policy setting that triggers the vulnerable client; the impact is local confidentiality, integrity, and availability loss.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-37955
- Published
- Sep 13, 2022
- Updated
- Mar 11, 2025
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Windows 10 Version 1507
- Classifications
- T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 13, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Mar 11, 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 <10.0.10240.19444
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
- Microsoft Windows Group Policy Preference Link Following Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerabilityproof of concept · demonstrated
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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