CVE-2022-24483: Windows 10 Kernel Information Disclosure

CVE-2022-24483 Overview

CVE-2022-24483 is a Windows Kernel Information Disclosure vulnerability that affects a wide range of Microsoft Windows operating systems. This vulnerability allows a locally authenticated attacker to gain access to sensitive information from the Windows kernel, potentially exposing memory contents that should remain protected. Information disclosure vulnerabilities in kernel components are particularly concerning as they can reveal memory addresses, internal structures, or other sensitive data that attackers can leverage to defeat security mitigations like Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) when chaining with other exploits.

Critical Impact

Successful exploitation allows local attackers to extract sensitive kernel memory information, potentially enabling bypass of security mitigations and facilitating further attacks through exploit chaining.

Affected Products

• Microsoft Windows 10 (all versions including 1607, 1809, 1909, 20H2, 21H1, 21H2)
• Microsoft Windows 11 (x64 and ARM64 architectures)
• Microsoft Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1
• Microsoft Windows Server 2012, 2012 R2, 2016, 2019, and 2022

Discovery Timeline

• April 15, 2022 - CVE-2022-24483 published to NVD
• November 21, 2024 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2022-24483

Vulnerability Analysis

This Windows Kernel Information Disclosure vulnerability exists within core kernel components of Microsoft Windows. The flaw enables a locally authenticated user to access sensitive information that the kernel should properly protect and isolate. Kernel-level information disclosure vulnerabilities are significant because they can expose critical internal data structures, memory addresses, and other protected information that is normally restricted from user-mode access.

While this vulnerability requires local access and low privileges to exploit, it does not require any user interaction. The impact is limited to confidentiality - the vulnerability does not directly allow modification of data or denial of service. However, the high confidentiality impact indicates that significant amounts of sensitive information could be disclosed.

Information disclosure vulnerabilities of this nature are frequently used as building blocks in sophisticated attack chains. Attackers can combine kernel memory leaks with other vulnerabilities to achieve privilege escalation or code execution with elevated permissions.

Root Cause

The root cause stems from improper handling of memory operations within the Windows kernel that leads to information exposure. The kernel fails to properly sanitize or protect certain memory regions before they are accessible to user-mode processes, resulting in the potential disclosure of sensitive kernel data. The specific CWE classification is not detailed by NVD, indicating the precise technical root cause has not been publicly documented.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local, meaning an attacker must have authenticated access to the target system to exploit this vulnerability. The exploitation path involves:

1. An attacker with low-privilege local access to a Windows system
2. Execution of a specially crafted application or code that triggers the vulnerable kernel behavior
3. The kernel improperly discloses sensitive memory information back to the attacker's user-mode process
4. The attacker captures and analyzes the disclosed information to extract kernel addresses, memory layouts, or other sensitive data

This vulnerability does not require user interaction and has low attack complexity, making it relatively straightforward to exploit once an attacker has local system access. The information obtained can be used to facilitate further attacks, such as bypassing ASLR to enable reliable exploitation of memory corruption vulnerabilities.

Detection Methods for CVE-2022-24483

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual kernel-mode to user-mode information transfer patterns
• Suspicious applications making repeated system calls associated with kernel memory queries
• Processes exhibiting information gathering behavior prior to exploitation attempts
• Anomalous memory access patterns from low-privilege user accounts

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for suspicious system call patterns that may indicate kernel information probing
• Implement behavioral analysis to detect applications attempting to read or leak kernel memory addresses
• Enable Windows Security Event logging and monitor for unusual access patterns from user-mode processes
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions capable of identifying kernel exploitation attempt patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable advanced audit policies for kernel object access and privilege use
• Configure SentinelOne Singularity platform to monitor for post-exploitation behaviors
• Implement real-time alerting for unusual kernel-related activity from non-system processes
• Correlate endpoint events with vulnerability scanning data to identify unpatched systems

How to Mitigate CVE-2022-24483

Immediate Actions Required

• Apply the Microsoft security update released in April 2022 Patch Tuesday immediately
• Prioritize patching for systems with sensitive data or that serve as attack targets
• Restrict local access to systems where possible until patches are applied
• Review user accounts with local access to reduce potential attacker entry points

Patch Information

Microsoft has released security updates to address CVE-2022-24483. Detailed patch information and download links are available through the Microsoft Security Update Guide. Organizations should apply the appropriate security update for their Windows version through Windows Update, Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), or manual installation from the Microsoft Update Catalog.

Workarounds

• Limit local user access to critical systems until patches can be applied
• Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized executables from running
• Apply principle of least privilege to minimize the number of accounts with local access
• Consider network segmentation to isolate potentially vulnerable systems from sensitive resources

# Verify installed Windows updates using PowerShell
Get-HotFix | Where-Object {$_.InstalledOn -gt "2022-04-01"} | Format-Table -Property HotFixID, InstalledOn, Description