Vulnerability report

Trusted Third Party Report Confirmed Confidence In CISA KEV

CVE-2022-21999

Windows Print Spooler Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

Microsoft / Windows 10 Version 1809 · affected before 10.0.17763.2565

Watch CVE-2022-21999 Browse KEV feed
Severity
CVSS 7.8 · High
Confidence
Confirmed
Exploit status
Trusted Third Party Report
EPSS
41.0%
First observed
—
Last observed
—

Decision summary

What security teams need to know first

Direct answers before the deeper technical record.

What it is

CVE-2022-21999 is Windows Print Spooler Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability affecting Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1809 and 25 other products.

Have exploitation attempts been observed?

Yes. Exploitation attempts have been reported for this vulnerability. Previdian lists it as a known exploited vulnerability. Listed in CISA KEV. Confidence is confirmed.

Who is affected?

Affected products include Microsoft / Windows 10 Version 1809 and 25 other products, including affected before 10.0.17763.2565, affected before 10.0.17763.2565, and affected before 10.0.18363.2094.

What should we do?

Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.

Overview

Windows Print Spooler Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

Windows Print Spooler Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

Microsoft Affected
Windows 10 Version 1809
Before 10.0.17763.2565
Microsoft Affected
Windows Server 2019
Before 10.0.17763.2565
Microsoft Affected
Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation)
Before 10.0.17763.2565
Microsoft Affected
Windows 10 Version 1909
Before 10.0.18363.2094
Microsoft Affected
Windows 10 Version 21H1
Before 10.0.19043.1526
Microsoft Affected
Windows Server 2022
Before 10.0.20348.524
Microsoft Affected
Windows 10 Version 20H2
Before 10.0.19042.1526
Microsoft Affected
Windows Server version 20H2
Before 10.0.19042.1526
Microsoft Affected
Windows 11 version 21H2
Before 10.0.22000.493
Microsoft Affected
Windows 10 Version 21H2
Before 10.0.19044.1526
Microsoft Affected
Windows 10 Version 1507
Before 10.0.10240.19204
Microsoft Affected
Windows 10 Version 1607
Before 10.0.14393.4946
Microsoft Affected
Windows Server 2016
Before 10.0.14393.4946
Microsoft Affected
Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation)
Before 10.0.14393.4946
Microsoft Affected
Windows 7
Before 6.1.7601.25860
Microsoft Affected
Windows 7 Service Pack 1
Before 6.1.7601.25860
Microsoft Affected
Windows 8.1
Before 6.3.9600.20269
Microsoft Affected
Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2
Before 6.0.6003.21374
Microsoft Affected
Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 (Server Core installation)
Before 6.0.6003.21374
Microsoft Affected
Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2
Before 6.0.6003.21374
Microsoft Affected
Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1
Before 6.1.7601.25860
Microsoft Affected
Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (Server Core installation)
Before 6.1.7601.25860
Microsoft Affected
Windows Server 2012
Before 6.2.9200.23605
Microsoft Affected
Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation)
Before 6.2.9200.23605
Microsoft Affected
Windows Server 2012 R2
Before 6.3.9600.20269
Microsoft Affected
Windows Server 2012 R2 (Server Core installation)
Before 6.3.9600.20269
View vendor advisory (opens in new tab)
Published
09 Feb 2022
Exploitation Attempts Reported
25 Mar 2022
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None

Tags

microsoft metasploit cisa windows malware metasploit_scanner

CVE References

Exploitation evidence

Evidence of exploitation attempts

Third-party attestation and first-party sensor observation are shown separately so teams can judge the evidence chain.

Exploitation Attempts Observed in the Wild

CISA

Recorded 25 Mar 2022

A trusted third party reported exploitation attempts.

Targeted by Malware-Related Exploitation Attempts

CISA

Recorded 02 Jun 2026

Exploitation attempts against this vulnerability are associated with malware-related payloads.

Proof of concept available

Recorded 28 Apr 2025

Public scanner or PoC coverage increases practical exploitability.

Known exploited vulnerability sources

Per-source evidence links for KEV attestations are available through the Previdian Pro API.

Learn about Pro API access
Source Added
CISA First 2022-03-25 00:00 UTC

Detection

Operational artifacts and observed signals

Make the evidence actionable in scanner, SOC, and edge-control workflows.

Virtual patch status

No Previdian virtual patch is currently available. Future rules ship for ModSecurity, Cloudflare, and AWS WAF.

Learn about virtual patches →

Scanner Artifacts

Scanner and exploit-framework references linked to this CVE.

Scanner Reference Detected
Metasploit https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/windows/local/cve_2022_21999_spoolfool_privesc.rb 28 Apr 2025

Risk and context

Severity, weaknesses, and research context

CVSS v3.1

7.8 High

Potential damage if exploited. Separate from whether attackers are using it.

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C

EPSS

41.0%

Estimated chance of exploitation in the next 30 days. Previdian's warning comes from evidence, not this score.

Weaknesses

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

Potential Proof of Concepts

These PoCs are unverified and could contain malware. Use at your own risk.

cve_2022_21999_spoolfool_privesc

metasploit · Created Unknown

Metasploit module for CVE-2022-21999

Timeline

From disclosure to observed exploitation attempts

  1. 14:08 UTC

    Targeted by malware-related exploitation attempts

    Malware-related exploitation attempts or payloads reported

  2. 15:02 UTC

    Metasploit module available

    Exploit module available

  3. 15:02 UTC

    Public PoC available

    Public proof-of-concept code published

  4. 00:00 UTC

    Added to CISA KEV

    Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

  5. 16:36 UTC

    CVE published

    Vulnerability disclosed publicly

  6. 00:00 UTC

    CVE ID reserved

    Identifier reserved by the CNA

Pro API

Automate this intelligence

Confidence, exploit status, sensor telemetry, PoCs, scanner integrations, mentions, and tags are available programmatically for VM, SOC, and CTI workflows.

Start 14-day Pro trial Read API docs
  • Evidence confidence and provenance
  • First-party sensor telemetry
  • PoC and scanner references
  • Affected versions and enrichment
  • Automation-ready JSON delivery

GET /api/v2/pro/kevs/CVE-2022-21999

Sample API response 
{
  "cve_id": "CVE-2022-21999",
  "confidence": "Confirmed",
  "cvss_score": 7.8,
  "cvss_estimated": false,
  "epss_score": 0.41007,
  "exploit_status": {
    "exploited_in_the_wild": true,
    "active_exploitation_observed": false
  },
  "sensor_telemetry": { "attempts": 0, "sensors": 0 }
}