CVE-2022-21999: Microsoft Windows Print Spooler Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Is it exploited?

Yes. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 25 Mar 2022, 44 days after the CVE record was published.

How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?

41%

EPSS score, percentile 98.7 of all scored records

How severe?

7.8 High

CVSS v3.1 base score, given by the CNA

What should I do?

CISA deadline 15 Apr 2022. Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Advisories and patches (1)

Which versions are affected?

Affected

• from 10.0.17763.0 to before 10.0.17763.2565
• from 10.0.0 to before 10.0.17763.2565
• from 10.0.17763.0 to before 10.0.17763.2565
• from 10.0.17763.0 to before 10.0.17763.2565
• from 10.0.0 to before 10.0.18363.2094
• from 10.0.0 to before 10.0.19043.1526

and 14 more in the table below

Versions by product

Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

What to do

CISA due date for this action: 15 April 2022.

Advisories and patches

• Windows Print Spooler Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability (Vendor advisory)

Linked from CISA's catalog entry

• https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-21999

Affected products and versions

As listed in the CVE record.

Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

About this vulnerability

Microsoft Windows Print Spooler contains an unspecified vulnerability which can allow for privilege escalation.

Summary: CISA's KEV catalog, as of 28 Oct 2026.

• CISA added CVE-2022-21999 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 25 Mar 2022.
• CISA marks it as known to be used in ransomware campaigns.
• The due date CISA sets for the required action is 15 Apr 2022.
• The CVE record was published on 9 Feb 2022, 44 days before it was added to KEV.
• The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (High), given by its CNA.
• FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 41% (percentile 98.7), as of 28 Oct 2026.
• CISA's SSVC assessment in the CVE record: exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact total.

Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

Description

Windows Print Spooler Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

Windows Print Spooler Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

Weakness

• CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
• CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
• CWE-40
• CWE-1386

CWE and CAPEC are maintained by MITRE; the entries are those named in the CVE record and the KEV entry.

Timeline

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