HIGH CVSS 7.1
Published: 2022-12-12

CVE-2022-23511

amazon cloudwatch_agent Security Advisory (CVE-2022-23511)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2022-23511 impacting amazon cloudwatch_agent. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 7.1 (HIGH).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
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.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network (AV:N)
Exploitable remotely across internet boundaries
Attack Complexity
High (AC:H)
Depends on race conditions or environment
Privileges Required
Low (PR:L)
Standard user access required
User Interaction
Required (UI:R)
User must click or open resource
Scope
Changed (S:C)
Impacts components beyond caller authority
Confidentiality
High (C:H)
Total information disclosure
Integrity
Low (I:L)
Partial data modification possible
Availability
Low (A:L)
Partial service performance degradation

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product amazon / cloudwatch_agent
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration CWE-274

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2022-23511 impacting amazon cloudwatch_agent.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2022-23511.yaml
id: cve-2022-23511

info:
  name: amazon cloudwatch_agent - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: high
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2022-23511 affecting amazon cloudwatch_agent.
    Evaluation: A privilege escalation issue exists within the Amazon CloudWatch Agent for Windows, software for collecting metrics and logs from Amazon EC2 instances...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2022-23511
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:L
    cvss-score: 7.1
    cve-id: CVE-2022-23511
    cwe-id: CWE-274
  tags: cve,cve-2022-23511,amazon,cloudwatch_agent,high

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "cloudwatch_agent"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2022-23511.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2022-23511
# Target: amazon cloudwatch_agent | CVSS: 7.1 (HIGH)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2022-23511 (amazon cloudwatch_agent)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against amazon cloudwatch_agent scope (*).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
🛡️ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2022-23511.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2022-23511
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install cloudwatch_agent 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade cloudwatch_agent 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update cloudwatch_agent

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i cloudwatch_agent 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i cloudwatch_agent

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

🛡️ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2022-23511 in amazon cloudwatch_agent?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update amazon cloudwatch_agent packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2022-23511?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2022-23511?

CVE-2022-23511 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 7.1 (HIGH). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
7.1
HIGH SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2022-23511
Weakness CWE-274
Vendor amazon
Product cloudwatch_agent
Published 2022-12-12
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:L