How severe is GHSA-j8x2-2m5w-j939?

GHSA-j8x2-2m5w-j939 has a CVSS score of 7.1/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by GHSA-j8x2-2m5w-j939?

GHSA-j8x2-2m5w-j939 affects the following packages: github.com/aws/amazon-cloudwatch-agent (Go). Ecosystems affected: Go.

How do I fix GHSA-j8x2-2m5w-j939?

Update github.com/aws/amazon-cloudwatch-agent to 1.247355.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-j8x2-2m5w-j939 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect GHSA-j8x2-2m5w-j939 in my Go dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/aws/amazon-cloudwatch-agent, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate GHSA-j8x2-2m5w-j939 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Close the privilege gap rather than the entry point: audit which accounts, roles and service identities can reach the affected operation, drop the component to the least privilege it actually needs, and review file and directory permissions created by earlier installs — a default left in place is what makes this reachable.

Is GHSA-j8x2-2m5w-j939 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for GHSA-j8x2-2m5w-j939 yet. This does not mean the vulnerability cannot be exploited — absence of public exploits does not imply safety. Apply the recommended fix and use O3 Security to monitor your exposure.

What is the EPSS score for GHSA-j8x2-2m5w-j939?

GHSA-j8x2-2m5w-j939 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 0.5%, placing it in the 45th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

What type of vulnerability is GHSA-j8x2-2m5w-j939?

GHSA-j8x2-2m5w-j939 is classified as CWE-274 (CWE-274). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

When was GHSA-j8x2-2m5w-j939 published, and has it been updated?

GHSA-j8x2-2m5w-j939 was published on December 12, 2022 and was last updated on August 21, 2024. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

🐹

🐹 Go

Not in CISA KEV

HIGH severity

Amazon CloudWatch Agent for Windows has Privilege Escalation VectorGHSA-j8x2-2m5w-j939

HIGHFix: aws/amazon-cloudwatch-agent@6119858

GHSA-j8x2-2m5w-j939 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.1) CWE-274 vulnerability in github.com/aws/amazon-cloudwatch-agent. A fix is available for github.com/aws/amazon-cloudwatch-agent — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Also known asCVE-2022-23511GO-2022-1160

Published

Dec 12, 2022

Updated

Aug 21, 2024

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Nov 10, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

No confirmed exploitation observed yet

CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-j8x2-2m5w-j939.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

0.5%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs45th percentile — riskier than 45% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected

🐹github.com/aws/amazon-cloudwatch-agent

Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Go packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.

Description

Impact

A privilege escalation issue exists within the Amazon CloudWatch Agent for Windows 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.

Patches

Maintainers recommend that Agent users upgrade to the latest available version of the CloudWatch Agent to address this issue.

Workarounds

There is no recommended work around. Affected users must update the installed version of the CloudWatch Agent to address this issue.

References

https://github.com/aws/amazon-cloudwatch-agent/commit/6119858864c317ff26f41f576c169148d1250837

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, contact AWS/Amazon Security via their vulnerability reporting page or directly via email to [email protected]. Please do not create a public GitHub issue.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
🐹Go	`github.com/aws/amazon-cloudwatch-agent`	all versions	1.247355.0`go get github.com/aws/amazon-cloudwatch-agent@v1.247355.0`

Affected Products

1 product · 1 configurations

Application

cloudwatch agentamazon

< 1.247355

range

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/aws/amazon-cloudwatch-agent, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/aws/amazon-cloudwatch-agent to 1.247355.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-j8x2-2m5w-j939 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Close the privilege gap rather than the entry point: audit which accounts, roles and service identities can reach the affected operation, drop the component to the least privilege it actually needs, and review file and directory permissions created by earlier installs — a default left in place is what makes this reachable.

Frequently Asked Questions

### Impact A privilege escalation issue exists within the Amazon CloudWatch Agent for Windows 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 i

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is GHSA-j8x2-2m5w-j939 in your dependencies?

Find it across Go, including transitive dependencies.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works

CVSS Score

7.1/10CVSS v3 base

Vector breakdown

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

High

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

Required

Scope

Changed

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

Low

Availability

Low

Raw vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:L

CWE Classification

CWE-274CWE-274

Weaponization

No Nuclei template, Metasploit module or public proof-of-concept found.

Timeline

Disclosed

Dec 12, 2022

Last updated

Aug 21, 2024

Identifiers

GHSA-j8x2-2m5w-j939

GO-2022-1160

References

Advisorynvd.nist.gov · CVE 2022 23511 Webgithub.com · GHSA j8x2 2m5w j939 Webgithub.com · 6119858864c317ff26f41f576c169148d1250837 Webgithub.com · 6119858864c317ff26f41f576c169148d1250837 Packagegithub.com · amazon cloudwatch agent

Related vulnerabilities

This CVE is high severity; 3 of 4 other CVEs with CWE-274 are rated as high or higher (top: high).

CVE-2026-33005CVE-2024-41942CVE-2024-21648CVE-2022-23511Browse all CWE-274

Provenance

Sources

OSV.devNVDFIRST.org (EPSS)

Last verifiedAug 21, 2024