dbcve.org
Windows 10Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2022-22717

HIGH · 7.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-02-09
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
72/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Windows Print Spooler Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

This is a local elevation of privilege vulnerability in the Windows Print Spooler service that allows an authenticated attacker to escalate from a low-privileged user account to SYSTEM-level privileges by exploiting the Print Spooler, which runs with high privileges.

MitigationApply the relevant Windows security updates (typically delivered via monthly cumulative updates) and consider disabling the Print Spooler service on systems where printing is not required, particularly on domain controllers.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Windows 10Operating system
Affected:all versions= 20h2= 21h1= 21h2= 1607= 1809= 1909
Windows 11Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 7Operating system
Affected:= sp1
Windows 8.1Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Rt 8.1Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows ServerOperating system
Affected:= 20h2= 2022
Windows Server 2008Operating system
Affected:all versions= r2
Windows Server 2012Operating system
Affected:all versions= r2

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
High
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Print Spooler service status
    Open Services (services.msc) or run 'Get-Service Spooler' in PowerShell to check if the Print Spooler service is running
    Affected if The Print Spooler service is running; if stopped or disabled, this specific vulnerability cannot be exploited
  2. Confirm Windows version is in affected range
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo' and compare the displayed Windows version against the listed affected versions (Windows 10 all versions, Windows 11 all versions, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1 all versions, Windows Rt 8.1 all versions, Windows Server 20h2/2022, Windows Server 2008 all versions/R2, Windows Server 2012 all versions/R2)
    Affected if The installed Windows version matches any of the affected versions listed in the CVE
  3. Check for pending security updates
    Open Windows Update history (Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > View update history) or run 'wmic qfe list' to list installed hotfixes; look for KBxxxxxx patches released after January 2022
    Affected if No security updates from January 2022 or later are installed, indicating the vulnerability patch has not been applied

The system is affected if the Print Spooler service is running AND the Windows version is among the affected versions AND the January 2022 or later security updates have not been installed.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the relevant Windows security updates (typically delivered via monthly cumulative updates) and consider disabling the Print Spooler service on systems where printing is not required, particularly on domain controllers.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Install Microsoft security updates dated January 2022 or later (specific KB numbers vary by Windows version - refer to MSRC for your version)

  1. Open Windows Update on the affected system (Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update)
  2. Click 'Check for updates' to ensure you have the latest Microsoft security updates
  3. Install all pending security updates, particularly those released January 2022 or later
  4. Alternatively, manually download and install the specific security update for CVE-2022-22717 from the Microsoft Update Catalog (search for the KB number corresponding to your Windows version)
  5. Restart the system after installing updates
  6. Verify the Print Spooler service is running and functioning normally post-update
Caveat Standard Windows update risks apply - ensure backups exist and test in non-production environment first if possible

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Windows 10 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-22717 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data