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

Is it exploited?

Yes. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 13 Dec 2022, the same day the CVE record was published.

How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?

76.3%

EPSS score, percentile 99.5 of all scored records

How severe?

5.4 Medium

CVSS v3.1 base score, given by the CNA

What should I do?

CISA deadline 3 Jan 2023. Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Advisories and patches (1)

Which versions are affected?

Affected

• from 10.0.17763.0 to before 10.0.17763.3770
• from 10.0.0 to before 10.0.17763.3770
• from 10.0.17763.0 to before 10.0.17763.3770
• from 10.0.0 to before 10.0.19043.2364
• from 10.0.20348.0 to before 10.0.20348.1366
• from 10.0.0 to before 10.0.19042.2364

and 5 more in the table below

Versions by product

Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

What to do

CISA due date for this action: 3 January 2023.

Advisories and patches

• Windows SmartScreen Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability (Vendor advisory)

Linked from CISA's catalog entry

• https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2022-44698
• https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-44698

Affected products and versions

As listed in the CVE record.

Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

About this 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.

Summary: CISA's KEV catalog, as of 28 Oct 2026.

• CISA added CVE-2022-44698 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 13 Dec 2022.
• CISA marks it as known to be used in ransomware campaigns.
• The due date CISA sets for the required action is 3 Jan 2023.
• The CVE record was published on 13 Dec 2022, the same day it was added to KEV.
• The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.4 (Medium), given by its CNA.
• FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 76.3% (percentile 99.5), as of 28 Oct 2026.
• CISA's SSVC assessment in the CVE record: exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact partial.

Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

Description

Windows SmartScreen Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability

Windows SmartScreen Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability

Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

Weakness

• CWE-755

CWE and CAPEC are maintained by MITRE; the entries are those named in the CVE record and the KEV entry.

Timeline

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