Is CVE-2022-0280 actively exploited?

No active exploitation of CVE-2022-0280 has been confirmed so far. Continue monitoring, as exploit status can change.

Can CVE-2022-0280 be exploited remotely?

No. CVE-2022-0280 requires local access to exploit.

What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-0280?

CVE-2022-0280 has a CVSS score of 7.0 (HIGH).

HOME VULNERABILITIESCVE-2022-0280

HIGH

CVE-2022-0280

CWE-367Published: March 10, 2022· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

7.0

CVSS v3.1

Official Description

A race condition vulnerability exists in the QuickClean feature of McAfee Total Protection for Windows prior to 16.0.43 that allows a local user to gain privilege elevation and perform an arbitrary file delete. This could lead to sensitive files being deleted and potentially cause denial of service. This attack exploits the way symlinks are created and how the product works with them.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2022-0280 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 7.0.