{"id":"CVE-2022-44698","kind":"vulnerability","aliases":["CVE-2022-44698"],"related":[],"title":"Windows SmartScreen Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability","description":"Microsoft Defender SmartScreen contains a security feature bypass vulnerability that could allow an attacker to evade Mark of the Web (MOTW) defenses via a specially crafted malicious file.\n\nCISA required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.","summary":"Microsoft Defender SmartScreen has a security feature bypass that lets a crafted malicious file evade Mark of the Web warnings. CISA lists it as exploited in the wild and tied to ransomware campaigns.","severity":"medium","cvss":5.4,"epss":null,"exploited":true,"exploited_at":"2022-12-13T00:00:00+00:00","products":[{"name":"Microsoft Defender","fixed":[],"affected":"","ecosystem":"vendor"},{"name":"microsoft windows 10 1607","fixed":["10.0.14393.5582"],"affected":"< 10.0.14393.5582","ecosystem":"vendor"},{"name":"microsoft windows 10 1809","fixed":["10.0.17763.3770"],"affected":"< 10.0.17763.3770","ecosystem":"vendor"},{"name":"microsoft windows 10 20h2","fixed":["10.0.19042.2364"],"affected":"< 10.0.19042.2364","ecosystem":"vendor"},{"name":"microsoft windows 10 21h1","fixed":["10.0.19043.2364"],"affected":"< 10.0.19043.2364","ecosystem":"vendor"},{"name":"microsoft windows 10 21h2","fixed":["10.0.19044.2364"],"affected":"< 10.0.19044.2364","ecosystem":"vendor"},{"name":"microsoft windows 10 22h2","fixed":["10.0.19045.2364"],"affected":"< 10.0.19045.2364","ecosystem":"vendor"},{"name":"microsoft windows 11 21h2","fixed":["10.0.22000.1335"],"affected":"< 10.0.22000.1335","ecosystem":"vendor"},{"name":"microsoft windows server 2016","fixed":["10.0.14393.5582"],"affected":"< 10.0.14393.5582","ecosystem":"vendor"},{"name":"microsoft windows server 2019","fixed":["10.0.17763.3770"],"affected":"< 10.0.17763.3770","ecosystem":"vendor"},{"name":"microsoft windows server 2022","fixed":["10.0.20348.1366"],"affected":"< 10.0.20348.1366","ecosystem":"vendor"}],"ecosystems":["vendor"],"tags":["exploited","microsoft-defender","ransomware","smartscreen","vendor","windows"],"not_affected_if":["unknown"],"how_to_check":null,"fix":"Apply the Microsoft update for CVE-2022-44698 per vendor instructions, as CISA requires.","status":"open","published_at":"2022-12-13T00:00:00+00:00","first_seen_at":"2026-10-23T19:11:52+00:00","triaged_at":"2026-10-23T21:08:51+00:00","updated_at":"2026-10-23T22:29:04+00:00","category":"vendor","confidence":0.6,"triage":{"at":"2026-10-23T21:08:51Z","model":"claude-haiku-5-5","output":{"fix":"Apply the Microsoft update for CVE-2022-44698 per vendor instructions, as CISA requires.","reach":"internet","impact":"high","summary":"Microsoft Defender SmartScreen has a security feature bypass that lets a crafted malicious file evade Mark of the Web warnings. CISA lists it as exploited in the wild and tied to ransomware campaigns.","category":"vendor","who_cares":["windows","microsoft-defender","smartscreen"],"confidence":0.6,"needs_auth":"no","worst_case":"Malicious downloaded files bypass SmartScreen warnings, enabling malware execution on user machines.","analyst_note":"Find the affected Windows builds and KB article for the patch via the Microsoft Security Update Guide entry for CVE-2022-44698; sources give no version data.","how_to_check":"unknown","needs_analyst":true,"not_affected_if":["unknown"],"user_interaction":"yes","needs_special_setup":"unknown","severity_if_unknown":"unknown"},"cost_usd":0.000461,"input_tokens":2817,"output_tokens":359,"severity_before":"unknown"},"analyst_status":null,"analyst_note":null,"search":"'-2022':8A,11A '-44698':9A,12A '10':17A,21A,25A,29A,33A,37A '11':41A '1607':18A '1809':22A '2016':46A '2019':50A '2022':54A '20h2':26A '21h1':30A '21h2':34A,42A '22h2':38A 'action':126C 'allow':107C 'appli':127C 'attack':109C 'bypass':5A,70B,103C 'campaign':95B 'cisa':83B,124C 'contain':99C 'could':106C 'craft':74B,121C 'cve':7A,10A 'defend':58B,64B,97C 'defender':14A 'defens':117C 'evad':77B,111C 'exploit':55B,87B 'featur':4A,69B,102C 'file':76B,123C 'instruct':131C 'let':72B 'list':84B 'malici':75B,122C 'mark':78B,112C 'microsoft':13A,15A,19A,23A,27A,31A,35A,39A,43A,47A,51A,57B,63B,96C 'microsoft-defend':56B 'motw':116C 'per':129C 'ransomwar':59B,94B 'requir':125C 'secur':3A,68B,101C 'server':45A,49A,53A 'smartscreen':2A,60B,65B,98C 'special':120C 'tie':92B 'updat':128C 'vendor':61B,130C 'via':118C 'vulner':6A,104C 'warn':82B 'web':81B,115C 'wild':90B 'window':1A,62B 'windows':16A,20A,24A,28A,32A,36A,40A,44A,48A,52A","nicknames":[],"mitigations":[],"who_affected":null,"tier":null,"verified":{},"analyst_revisit_at":null,"first_public_at":"2022-12-13T00:00:00+00:00","kev":{"dateAdded":"2022-12-13","dueDate":"2023-01-03","requiredAction":"Apply updates per vendor instructions.","knownRansomwareCampaignUse":"Known"},"cvss_vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L","cvss_by":"secure@microsoft.com","poc_count":0,"sources":[{"source":"kev","external_id":"CVE-2022-44698","url":"https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?search_api_fulltext=CVE-2022-44698","severity":null,"published_at":"2022-12-13T00:00:00+00:00","modified_at":null,"first_seen_at":"2026-10-23T19:11:52+00:00","fetched_at":"2026-10-25T17:39:57+00:00","note":null},{"source":"nvd","external_id":"CVE-2022-44698","url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-44698","severity":null,"published_at":"2022-12-13T19:15:14+00:00","modified_at":"2026-06-17T05:08:47+00:00","first_seen_at":"2026-10-23T22:29:04+00:00","fetched_at":"2026-10-23T22:29:04+00:00","note":null}],"documents":[],"notice":"Free to read at a human pace. An API with keys and an MCP server are in preparation; early access: hello@infrastack.ai"}