# CVE-2022-23511: Amazon CloudWatch Agent for Windows has Privilege Escalation Vector

> Administrative users on Windows hosts can escalate privileges to SYSTEM by triggering the CloudWatch Agent repair process.

- **Severity:** High 7.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 12 Dec 2022
- **Updated:** 23 Apr 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-j8x2-2m5w-j939, GO-2022-1160

## What is CVE-2022-23511?

CVE-2022-23511 is a high-severity vulnerability in aws amazon-cloudwatch-agent, published on 12 Dec 2022. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

A privilege escalation issue exists within the Amazon CloudWatch Agent for Windows, software for collecting metrics and logs from Amazon EC2 instances and on-premises servers, in versions up to and including v1.247354. When users trigger a repair of the Agent, a pop-up window opens with SYSTEM permissions. Users with administrative access to affected hosts may use this to create a new command prompt as NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM. To trigger this issue, the third party must be able to access the affected host and elevate their privileges such that they're able to trigger the agent repair process. They must also be able to install the tools required to trigger the issue. This issue does not affect the CloudWatch Agent for macOS or Linux. Agent users should upgrade to version 1.247355 of the CloudWatch Agent to address this issue. There is no recommended work around. Affected users must update the installed version of the CloudWatch Agent to address this issue.

Weakness: CWE-274 (Improper Handling of Insufficient Privileges)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-23511?

3 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/aws/amazon-cloudwatch-agent. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `github.com/aws/amazon-cloudwatch-agent` | Go | All versions | 1.247355.0 |
| `github.com/aws/amazon-cloudwatch-agent` | Go | All versions | 1.247355.0 |
| `github.com/aws/amazon-cloudwatch-agent` | Go | All versions | 1.247355.0 |

Products: Amazon Cloudwatch Agent.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-23511?

Upgrade github.com/aws/amazon-cloudwatch-agent to 1.247355.0 or later.

## Is CVE-2022-23511 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-23511 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-23511 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-23511 is a high-severity vulnerability in aws amazon-cloudwatch-agent, published on 12 Dec 2022. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-23511 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- github.com/aws/amazon-cloudwatch-agent (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 1.247355.0
- github.com/aws/amazon-cloudwatch-agent (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 1.247355.0
- github.com/aws/amazon-cloudwatch-agent (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 1.247355.0

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-23511/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-23511/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-23511
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-23511
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-23511

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-23511/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.