Microsoft Windows Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT) Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (CVE-2022-30190)
Published Last modified In CISA KEV since Sources: SingCERT, CVE.org
- Actively exploited
- Source: ANSSI / CERT-FR, CSA/SingCERT How we classify
- Ransomware
- Public exploit
What is affected, what to do
A remote code execution vulnerability exists when MSDT is called using the URL protocol from a calling application such as Word. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can run arbitrary code with the privileges of the calling application.
The vulnerability is being actively exploited; treat it as a priority. CISA lists it as used in ransomware campaigns. Update Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1809 to version 10.0.17763.3046, Microsoft Windows Server 2019 to version 10.0.17763.3046, Microsoft Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation) to version 10.0.17763.3046. Immediate actions, mitigation and detection rules are in the runbook below.
- Affected
- Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1809
lt 10.0.17763.0..10.0.17763.3046 - Microsoft Windows Server 2019
lt 10.0.17763.0..10.0.17763.3046 - Microsoft Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation)
lt 10.0.17763.0..10.0.17763.3046 - Microsoft Windows 10 Version 21H1
lt 10.0.0..10.0.19043.1766 - Microsoft Windows Server 2022
lt 10.0.20348.0..10.0.20348.770 - Microsoft Windows 10 Version 20H2
lt 10.0.0..10.0.19042.1766 - Microsoft Windows Server version 20H2
lt 10.0.0..10.0.19042.1766 - Microsoft Windows 11 version 21H2
lt 10.0.0..10.0.22000.739 - Microsoft Windows 10 Version 21H2
lt 10.0.19043.0..10.0.19044.1766 - Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1507
lt 10.0.10240.0..10.0.10240.19325 - Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1607
lt 10.0.14393.0..10.0.14393.5192 - Microsoft Windows Server 2016
lt 10.0.14393.0..10.0.14393.5192 - Microsoft Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation)
lt 10.0.14393.0..10.0.14393.5192 - Microsoft Windows 7
lt 6.1.0..6.1.7601.25984 - Microsoft Windows 7 Service Pack 1
lt 6.1.0..6.1.7601.25984 - Microsoft Windows 8.1
lt 6.3.0..6.3.9600.20402 - Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1
lt 6.1.7601.0..6.1.7601.25984 - Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (Server Core installation)
lt 6.1.7601.0..6.1.7601.25984 - Microsoft Windows Server 2012
lt 6.2.9200.0..6.2.9200.23736 - Microsoft Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation)
lt 6.2.9200.0..6.2.9200.23736 - Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2
lt 6.3.9600.0..6.3.9600.20402 - Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 (Server Core installation)
lt 6.3.9600.0..6.3.9600.20402
- Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1809
- Fixed in
- Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1809
10.0.17763.3046 - Microsoft Windows Server 2019
10.0.17763.3046 - Microsoft Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation)
10.0.17763.3046 - Microsoft Windows 10 Version 21H1
10.0.19043.1766 - Microsoft Windows Server 2022
10.0.20348.770 - Microsoft Windows 10 Version 20H2
10.0.19042.1766 - Microsoft Windows Server version 20H2
10.0.19042.1766 - Microsoft Windows 11 version 21H2
10.0.22000.739 - Microsoft Windows 10 Version 21H2
10.0.19044.1766 - Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1507
10.0.10240.19325 - Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1607
10.0.14393.5192 - Microsoft Windows Server 2016
10.0.14393.5192 - Microsoft Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation)
10.0.14393.5192 - Microsoft Windows 7
6.1.7601.25984 - Microsoft Windows 7 Service Pack 1
6.1.7601.25984 - Microsoft Windows 8.1
6.3.9600.20402 - Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1
6.1.7601.25984 - Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (Server Core installation)
6.1.7601.25984 - Microsoft Windows Server 2012
6.2.9200.23736 - Microsoft Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation)
6.2.9200.23736 - Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2
6.3.9600.20402 - Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 (Server Core installation)
6.3.9600.20402
- Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1809
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Metrics
7.8
Priority
XIEM Effective CVSS: highest available CVSS rating from NVD and vendor data.
Source: NVD, CVSS v3
7.8
CVSS v3
Severity High on the scale from 0 to 10.
Source: SingCERT, CVE.org
99.16 %
EPSS score
High — model estimates ≥ 50% chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days.
Source: FIRST EPSS, percentile 99.93
Show all metrics
- Severity
- Critical
Priority (0–325)
The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?
Read in glossary- 244.81 Methodology
Exploit maturity
An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.
Read in glossary- actively exploitedSource: ANSSI / CERT-FR, CSA/SingCERT How we classify
XIEM Effective CVSS
XIEM® is the tiered managed-security operating model from NEOSEC and a registered trademark of NEOSEC GmbH. It extends classic SIEM — the central collection, normalisation and correlation of security-relevant events — with endpoint forensics, network visibility and deception technology, and consolidates them into three building tiers: Sentry, Orchestrate and Command.
Read in glossary- 7.8 Methodology
CVSS v3
CVSS is the globally established, open standard for assessing the technical severity of a vulnerability on a scale from 0 to 10. It describes how easily a flaw can be exploited and what damage it can cause — but not how likely its actual exploitation is. CVSS and the complementary EPSS deliberately answer different questions.
Read in glossary- 7.8
EPSS score
The EPSS score is the absolute model output for an individual vulnerability: the estimated probability of real-world exploitation within the next 30 days, expressed as a value between 0 and 1 (i.e. 0 % to 100 %). A score of 0.42 means „the model estimates a 42 % chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days“.
Read in glossary- 99.16 %
- High — model estimates ≥ 50% chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days.
EPSS percentile
The EPSS percentile is the relative position of a vulnerability within all EPSS-scored CVEs, expressed as a value between 0 and 1. A percentile of 0.90 means „this CVE has a higher EPSS score than 90 % of all other scored CVEs“. Unlike the EPSS score, it is not a probability — but a positioning within a ranking.
Read in glossary- 99.93
- Critical — this CVE ranks in the top fifth of all CVEs scored today (rank ≥ 80%).
KEV status
The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.
Read in glossary- Actively exploited
- Published
In CISA KEV since
The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.
Read in glossary
Response and mitigation
Why act now?
Prioritisation rationale
"Follina" gives an attacker code execution in the user's context as soon as a crafted Office document is opened — or, for RTF, merely previewed. No macros are involved, so macro-blocking policies offer no protection. The local attack vector with required user interaction is misleading: in practice delivery is a phishing attachment, exploitation likelihood is among the very highest of any CVE, and CISA flags known use in ransomware campaigns. For any organisation with broad Office usage and external email exposure — effectively every NIS2/KRITIS entity — treat remediation as critical. Residual risk sits mainly with unpatched legacy hosts (Windows 7, forgotten clients), which must be covered by the registry workaround and isolation.
Runbook step 1
Immediate response (0-24 h)
- Deploy the June 2022 Windows cumulative security update (Patch Tuesday 2022-06-14) or any later cumulative update across all clients and servers. Fixed builds per the context include 10.0.19044.1766 (Windows 10 21H2), 10.0.19043.1766 (21H1), 10.0.19042.1766 (20H2), 10.0.17763.3046 (1809), 10.0.14393.5192 (1607), 10.0.10240.19325 (1507) and 10.0.22000.739 (Windows 11 21H2). Look up the exact KB number per build in the MSRC advisory for CVE-2022-30190.
- Verify patch compliance from inventory: flag any host below those build numbers (Intune, SCCM/MECM, or
Get-ComputerInfo | Select OsBuildNumber) as non-compliant and remediate first. - On unpatched hosts, remove the URL protocol handler immediately (MSRC blog workaround): back up with
reg export HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ms-msdt ms-msdt.reg, then runreg delete HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ms-msdt /f— push fleet-wide via GPO startup script or EDR live response. - Isolate Windows 7: without an ESU subscription there is no regular fix. Cut these hosts off from mail and internet access, enforce the workaround, and accelerate decommissioning.
- Start a retro-hunt: search mailboxes and EDR telemetry from late May 2022 onwards, or across your full retention window, for
msdt.exelaunched by Office processes (see Detection rules). Treat any hit as a suspected compromise: isolate the host and reset the user's credentials.
Runbook step 2
Mitigation layers
- Endpoint hardening (ASR): enable the Defender ASR rule "Block all Office applications from creating child processes" (GUID
d4f940ab-401b-4efc-aadc-ad5f3c50688a) in Block mode. Run it in audit mode first to catch business apps that depend on macros. - Configuration change via GPO: Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → System → Troubleshooting and Diagnostics → Scripted Diagnostics — set "Troubleshooting: Allow users to access and run Troubleshooting Wizards" to Disabled.
- Application control: use AppLocker/WDAC to deny
msdt.exefor standard users, and block child processes ofsdiagnhost.exe(cmd.exe,powershell.exe,rundll32.exe). - Mail and web gateway: quarantine Office documents (DOCX, RTF) containing external
oleObjectrelationships (TargetMode="External") inword/_rels/document.xml.rels. RTF variants fire from the preview pane alone, so Office Protected View is not a sufficient control. - Network layer: add proxy/IPS rules for HTTP responses containing
ms-msdt:, and for HTML payloads combiningwindow.location.hrefwithms-msdt. Restrict outbound connections from Office processes to uncategorised domains.
- Endpoint hardening (ASR): enable the Defender ASR rule "Block all Office applications from creating child processes" (GUID
Runbook step 3
Detection rules
- Sysmon EID 1 / Security EID 4688 — process ancestry:
ParentImageends withwinword.exe,excel.exe,powerpnt.exeoroutlook.exe, andImageends withmsdt.exe. KQL:DeviceProcessEvents | where FileName =~ "msdt.exe" and InitiatingProcessFileName in~ ("winword.exe","excel.exe","powerpnt.exe","outlook.exe") - Command-line pattern:
msdt.exewhoseCommandLinecontainsIT_BrowseForFileand/orPCWDiagnostic, plus$(or/../. Sigma shape:selection: Image|endswith: '\msdt.exe' CommandLine|contains|all: ['IT_BrowseForFile', '$(']. - Follow-on execution:
sdiagnhost.exespawningcmd.exe,powershell.exe,rundll32.exe,regsvr32.exeormshta.exe(Sysmon EID 1). Also watch forpcwrun.exeinvoked from an Office context. - Network telemetry (Zeek/Suricata, proxy logs): HTTP response bodies containing
ms-msdt:/id PCWDiagnostic; outbound HTTP requests fromwinword.exefor.htmlresources immediately after a document is opened (Sysmon EID 3 with Imagewinword.exe). - File system / AV: Sysmon EID 11 for files created in
%TEMP%bysdiagnhost.exe. Centrally correlate Defender detections named "Follina" or referencing CVE-2022-30190.
- Sysmon EID 1 / Security EID 4688 — process ancestry:
Detection rules
No NEOSEC detection rule is available for this vulnerability yet.
Classification under NIS2 and CRA
Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.
NIS2
NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.
Read in glossary- Actively exploited: treat the vulnerability as a priority in vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2. If it is exploited in your environment, check the reporting obligation under Art. 23 (early warning within 24 hours).
CRA
The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.
Read in glossary- Since 11.09.2026, manufacturers of affected products with digital elements must report actively exploited vulnerabilities under Art. 14 CRA, with an early warning within 24 hours via ENISA's single reporting platform.
ISO/IEC 27001
ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.
Read in glossary- Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.
Description
A remote code execution vulnerability exists when MSDT is called using the URL protocol from a calling application such as Word. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can run arbitrary code with the privileges of the calling application. The attacker can then install programs, view, change, or delete data, or create new accounts in the context allowed by the user’s rights. Please see the MSRC Blog Entry for important information about steps you can take to protect your system from this vulnerability.
Source: CSA/SingCERT, CISA KEV Catalog, cvelistv5, NVD (NIST), CVE.org (MITRE)
Affected products
The following versions are affected. Older releases of the same product line are also vulnerable unless stated otherwise.
| Affected versions | Fixed in | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | Windows 10 Version 1507 |
|
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| Microsoft | Windows 10 Version 1607 |
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| Microsoft | Windows 10 Version 1809 |
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| Microsoft | Windows 10 Version 20H2 |
|
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| Microsoft | Windows 10 Version 21H1 |
|
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| Microsoft | Windows 10 Version 21H2 |
|
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| Microsoft | Windows 11 version 21H2 |
|
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| Microsoft | Windows 7 |
|
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| Microsoft | Windows 7 Service Pack 1 |
|
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| Microsoft | Windows 8.1 |
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| Microsoft | Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 |
|
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| Microsoft | Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (Server Core installation) |
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| Microsoft | Windows Server 2012 |
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| Microsoft | Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation) |
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| Microsoft | Windows Server 2012 R2 |
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| Microsoft | Windows Server 2012 R2 (Server Core installation) |
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| Microsoft | Windows Server 2016 |
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| Microsoft | Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation) |
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| Microsoft | Windows Server 2019 |
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| Microsoft | Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation) |
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| Microsoft | Windows Server 2022 |
|
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| Microsoft | Windows Server version 20H2 |
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|
Vendors and products
- Microsoft Windows 10 1507
- Microsoft Microsoft Windows 10 1607
- Microsoft Microsoft Windows 10 1809
- Microsoft Windows 10 20h2
- Microsoft Windows 10 21h1
- Microsoft Microsoft Windows 10 21H2
- Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1507
- Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1607
- Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1809
- Microsoft Windows 10 Version 20h2
- Microsoft Windows 10 Version 21h1
- Microsoft Windows 10 Version 21h2
Affected operating systems
| Windows | microsoft | windows_10_1507 | — |
| Windows | microsoft | windows_10_1607 | — |
| Windows | microsoft | windows_10_1809 | — |
| Windows | microsoft | windows_10_20h2 | — |
| Windows | microsoft | windows_10_21h1 | — |
| Windows | microsoft | windows_10_21h2 | — |
| Windows | microsoft | windows_11_21h2 | — |
| Windows | microsoft | windows_7 | — |
| Windows | microsoft | windows_8.1 | — |
| Windows | microsoft | windows_rt_8.1 | — |
| Windows | microsoft | windows_server_2008 | r2 |
| Windows | microsoft | windows_server_2012 | r2 |
| Windows | microsoft | windows_server_2012 | — |
| Windows | microsoft | windows_server_2016 | — |
| Windows | microsoft | windows_server_2019 | — |
| Windows | microsoft | windows_server_2022 | — |
| Windows | microsoft | windows_server_20h2 | — |
Public exploit references
Publicly reported proof-of-concepts, exploit modules and detection templates for this vulnerability. NEOSEC links to the original sources only and does not provide any exploit code.
| CISA KEV Catalog | CISA Known Exploited Vulnerability (opens in a new tab)cisa.gov | actively exploited | |
| CSA/SingCERT | "Follina" Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool Vulnerability (opens in a new tab)CSA/SingCERT | actively exploited | |
| ANSSI / CERT-FRLicence Ouverte 2.0, as of | CERTFR-2022-ALE-005 – [MàJ] Vulnérabilité dans Microsoft Windows (clôturée 2022-09-16) (opens in a new tab)cert.cyber.gouv.fr | actively exploited | |
| Packet Storm | Microsoft Office Word MSDTJS Code Execution (opens in a new tab)packetstormsecurity.com | PoC (publicly reported)reported, not verified | — |
| PoC-in-GitHub (nomi-sec) | follina-msdt-threat-investigation (opens in a new tab)github.com | PoC (publicly reported)reported, not verified | |
| PoC-in-GitHub (nomi-sec) | Follina-CVE-2022-30190-Analysis (opens in a new tab)github.com | PoC (publicly reported)reported, not verified | |
| PoC-in-GitHub (nomi-sec) | THM-Tempest (opens in a new tab)github.com | PoC (publicly reported)reported, not verified |
References & sources
- Microsoft Security Update GuideMicrosoft Windows Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT) Remote Code Execution VulnerabilityVendor advisory
- portal.msrc.microsoft.comen-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2022-30190x_refsource_MISC, x_transferred
- packetstormsecurity.comfiles/167438/Microsoft-Office-Word-MSDTJS-Code-Execution.htmlx_refsource_MISC, x_transferred
- cisa.govknown-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2022-30190government-resource
- cert.cyber.gouv.frANSSI / CERT-FR: CERTFR-2022-ALE-005 – [MàJ] Vulnérabilité dans Microsoft Windows (clôturée 2022-09-16)cert-fr
Changes to this CVE
Who changed this CVE and when: NVD (analysis, affected products, CVSS), the CVE publisher (CNA) and additional providers such as CISA (ADP).
Record modifiedCISA ADP
CISA assessment (SSVC): exploitation: active, automatable: no
Show the original change
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After SSVC assessment changed {"id":"CVE-2022-30190","role":"CISA Coordinator","options":[{"exploitation":"active"},{"automatable":"no"},{"technicalImpact":"total"}],"version":"2.0.3","timestamp":"2026-08-05T20:35:04.496426Z"}{"id":"CVE-2022-30190","role":"CISA Coordinator","options":[{"exploitation":"active"},{"automatable":"no"},{"technicalImpact":"total"}],"version":"2.0.3","timestamp":"2022-05-31T00:00:00+00:00"}Source identifier: 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Record modifiedCISA ADP
CISA assessment (SSVC): exploitation: active, automatable: no
Show the original change
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After SSVC assessment changed {"id":"CVE-2022-30190","role":"CISA Coordinator","options":[{"exploitation":"active"},{"automatable":"slow"},{"technicalImpact":"total"}],"version":"2.0.3","timestamp":"2022-05-31T00:00:00+00:00"}{"id":"CVE-2022-30190","role":"CISA Coordinator","options":[{"exploitation":"active"},{"automatable":"no"},{"technicalImpact":"total"}],"version":"2.0.3","timestamp":"2026-08-05T20:35:04.496426Z"}Source identifier: 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
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<a href="https://intel.neosec.eu/en/cve/CVE-2022-30190"><img src="https://intel.neosec.eu/badge/cve/CVE-2022-30190.svg?lang=en" alt="CVE-2022-30190 – NEOSEC Intel" height="20"></a>