Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2022-26904 is a Windows User Profile Service flaw that can let a local low-privileged attacker gain higher privileges. It matters because it is in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, so exploitation has been observed. It is not a remote entry point by itself, but it can worsen an existing foothold.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority patching item, especially for shared workstations, servers, and environments where endpoint compromise could lead to domain or business-system escalation.
Technical view
The source bundle identifies a CWE-362 race condition in Microsoft Windows User Profile Service. CVSS 3.1 is 7.0: local attack vector, high complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact. Microsoft lists broad Windows client and server exposure and an official remediation state.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely on unpatched Windows 7, 8.1, 10, 11 21H2, Server 2008, 2016, 2019, 2022, and listed Server Core variants. Internet exposure is not the main issue; local access or a prior compromise is required.
Exploitation context
Active exploitation is supported by the CISA KEV flag in the provided source bundle. The CVSS vector also reports functional exploit code maturity. The bundle does not identify the threat actors, campaigns, exploit chain, or exact exploitation method.
Researcher notes
Focus validation on patch state and affected OS coverage. The provided evidence confirms local privilege escalation, race condition classification, high-impact privilege gain, and KEV status, but does not provide exploit mechanics or detailed Microsoft mitigation text.
Mitigation direction
- Apply the Microsoft security update listed for each affected Windows version.
- Prioritize endpoints and servers where low-privileged users can log on.
- Remove or isolate unsupported Windows systems until remediated.
- Track CISA KEV handling requirements where they apply.
- Check MSRC for newer guidance before closing remediation.
Validation and detection
- Inventory affected Windows versions listed in the source bundle.
- Compare installed security updates with the Microsoft CVE advisory.
- Use authenticated vulnerability scanning to verify patch detection.
- Confirm high-risk hosts no longer report CVE-2022-26904 exposure.
- Review privilege escalation alerts around previously vulnerable hosts.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-362: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupPrivilege behavior lookup
The CVE wording references privilege impact, so privilege escalation and authorization behavior review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2022-26904 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- Yes
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:F/RL:O/RC:C
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CISA KEV status
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:F/RL:O/RC:C15.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:F/RL:O/RC:C
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- Windows User Profile Service Elevation of Privilege VulnerabilityCVE reference · vendor-advisory
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2022-26904CVE reference · government-resource
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')
Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.