CVE-2022-38028: Microsoft Windows Print Spooler Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Is it exploited?

Yes. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 23 Apr 2024, 560 days after the CVE record was published.

How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?

14.9%

EPSS score, percentile 96.7 of all scored records

How severe?

7.8 High

CVSS v3.1 base score, given by the CNA

What should I do?

CISA deadline 14 May 2024. Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

Advisories and patches (1)

Which versions are affected?

Affected

• from 10.0.17763.0 to before 10.0.17763.3532
• from 10.0.0 to before 10.0.17763.3532
• from 10.0.17763.0 to before 10.0.17763.3532
• from 10.0.17763.0 to before 10.0.17763.3532
• from 10.0.0 to before 10.0.19043.2130
• from 10.0.20348.0 to before 10.0.20348.1129

and 13 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: 14 May 2024.

Advisories and patches

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

Linked from CISA's catalog entry

• https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2022-38028
• https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-38028

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 service contains a privilege escalation vulnerability. An attacker may modify a JavaScript constraints file and execute it with SYSTEM-level permissions.

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

• CISA added CVE-2022-38028 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 23 Apr 2024.
• CISA's ransomware flag for this entry is "Unknown": no evidence of ransomware use in the catalog, which is not proof of none.
• The due date CISA sets for the required action is 14 May 2024.
• The CVE record was published on 11 Oct 2022, 560 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 14.9% (percentile 96.7), 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.

Timeline

More exploited Microsoft vulnerabilities

• CVE-2026-96951: Microsoft Windows Command Injection Vulnerability (added 13 Oct 2026)
• CVE-2026-65660: Microsoft SharePoint Code Injection Vulnerability (added 25 Sep 2026)
• CVE-2026-81963: Microsoft Windows Link Following Vulnerability (added 8 Sep 2026)
• CVE-2026-85880: Microsoft Windows Heap-Based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability (added 8 Sep 2026)
• CVE-2019-1068: Microsoft SQL Server Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (added 26 Aug 2026)
• CVE-2026-33824: Microsoft Internet Key Exchange (IKE) Service Extensions Double Free Vulnerability (added 18 Aug 2026)