Local privilege escalation via TOCTOU directory deletion
Published Oct 11, 2022 · Updated Jan 2, 2025
Elevation of privilege in Microsoft Malware Protection Engine 1.1.0.0 through before 1.1.19700.2 allows local users to delete protected data. A time-of-check to time-of-use race lets a junction redirect Defender's remediation path after detection, so the engine deletes attacker-chosen directories instead of the detected file. A low-privilege local user needs no interaction, and the resulting integrity and availability impact can include deletion of administrator data or an unbootable system.
Summary
What happened
Elevation of privilege in Microsoft Malware Protection Engine 1.1.0.0 through before 1.1.19700.2 allows local users to delete protected data. A time-of-check to time-of-use race lets a junction redirect Defender's remediation path after detection, so the engine deletes attacker-chosen directories instead of the detected file. A low-privilege local user needs no interaction, and the resulting integrity and availability impact can include deletion of administrator data or an unbootable system.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-37971
- Published
- Oct 11, 2022
- Updated
- Jan 2, 2025
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Microsoft Malware Protection Engine
- Classifications
- T1070.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 11, 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=1.1.0.0 <1.1.19700.2
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
- Aikido Wiperproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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