dbcve.org
Windows 10Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2022-26792

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-04-15
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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 an Elevation of Privilege vulnerability in the Windows Print Spooler service. An authenticated attacker could exploit this to gain higher system privileges, potentially executing arbitrary code in the context of SYSTEM.

MitigationApply the relevant Microsoft security update for CVE-2022-26792. If the Print Spooler service is not required in the environment, consider disabling it as a defense-in-depth measure.

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:all versions
Windows 8.1Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Rt 8.1Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2008Operating system
Affected:all versions= r2
Windows Server 2012Operating system
Affected:all versions= r2
Windows Server 2016Operating system
Affected:all versions= 20h2

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
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/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. Confirm the Print Spooler service is running
    Open Services (services.msc) and locate the Print Spooler service, or run 'Get-Service -Name Spooler' in PowerShell to see its status
    Affected if The service status is Running - the vulnerability only applies when the Print Spooler service is active
  2. Identify the installed Windows version
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to determine the exact Windows version and build number
    Affected if The version matches any of the affected products listed: Windows 10 (20h2, 21h1, 21h2, 1607, 1809, 1909), Windows 11 (all), Windows 7 (all), Windows 8.1 (all), Windows Rt 8.1 (all), Windows Server 2008 (all/R2), Windows Server 2012 (all/R2), or Windows Server 2016 (all/20h2)
  3. Check for the security update
    Open Settings > Windows Update > View update history, or run 'wmic qfe list' to list installed hotfixes; look for the specific KB addressing CVE-2022-26792
    Affected if The security update for CVE-2022-26792 is NOT installed - the system remains vulnerable

You are affected if the Print Spooler service is running AND your Windows version is in the affected list AND the corresponding security update is not 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 Microsoft security update for CVE-2022-26792. If the Print Spooler service is not required in the environment, consider disabling it as a defense-in-depth measure.

Recommended fix High confidence
  1. Open Windows Update by pressing the Windows key + I, then selecting Update & Security > Windows Update
  2. Click 'Check for updates' to download and install the latest security updates
  3. If updates are available, click 'Install now' and restart the computer when prompted
  4. Alternatively, manually download the security update for your specific Windows version from the Microsoft Update Catalog (KB5014702 for June 2022)
  5. Verify the update was installed by checking installed updates in Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates
  6. If print services are not required, consider disabling the Print Spooler service: Open Services, find 'Print Spooler', right-click and select 'Stop', then change Startup type to 'Disabled'

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

Fix this in Windows 10 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,210
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,936.

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-2022-26792 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