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Known exploited vulnerability · CISA KEV

CVE-2022-44698: Microsoft Defender SmartScreen Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability

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.

CVE-2022-44698

Exploited in the wild. Fix this first.

CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-12-13: attackers are using it right now. It is known to be used in ransomware campaigns.

CISA KEV
Listed
Added 2022-12-13 · federal fix-by 2023-01-03
EPSS (30 days)
76%
Higher than 99.5% of CVEs · 2026-11-01
CVSS v3.1
5.4 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L

What CISA says

Microsoft Defender SmartScreen Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

NVD description · published 2022-12-13

Windows SmartScreen Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability

Full record on NVD

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How to check if you are exposed to CVE-2022-44698

  1. Find every Microsoft Defender system you or your clients run, including ones exposed to the internet. Those come first: CISA only lists flaws attackers are already using.
  2. Compare each version with the fixed versions in the vendor advisory below. Where no fix exists yet, apply the vendor’s mitigation or take the system off the internet.
  3. Run a credentialed vulnerability scan to catch the systems you missed, then check that the next scan no longer reports CVE-2022-44698.

US federal agencies had to fix this by 2023-01-03. Everyone else should treat that deadline as a guide: if it has passed, this is overdue.

Affected versions

Versions the National Vulnerability Database lists as vulnerable to CVE-2022-44698. Check the vendor advisory for the exact fixed builds before you sign anything off.

ProductVulnerable versions
Microsoft Windows 10 1607before 10.0.14393.5582
Microsoft Windows 10 1809before 10.0.17763.3770
Microsoft Windows 10 20h2before 10.0.19042.2364
Microsoft Windows 10 21h1before 10.0.19043.2364
Microsoft Windows 10 21h2before 10.0.19044.2364
Microsoft Windows 10 22h2before 10.0.19045.2364

NVD lists 4 more affected products; see the full record on NVD.

Timeline

  1. · Published in the National Vulnerability Database
  2. · Added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, the same day it was published
  3. · Fix-by date for US federal agencies, passed 1,398 days ago

Vendor advisories and fixes

Weakness type

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Sources: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (version 2026.10.30); EPSS data from FIRST.org; CVSS and descriptions from the NIST National Vulnerability Database. Checked 2026-11-01. This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.

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