dbcve.org
Windows 10Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2022-26796

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 a local privilege escalation vulnerability in the Windows Print Spooler service. An authenticated attacker could exploit this to elevate their privileges from a standard user to SYSTEM-level access, likely through improper handling of print jobs or spooler operations.

MitigationApply the relevant Microsoft security update for this CVE. If the Print Spooler service is not required in the environment, it can be disabled 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. Verify Windows version is affected
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to check your Windows version. Compare against the affected list: Windows 10 (all versions including 20h2, 21h1, 21h2, 1607, 1809, 1909), Windows 11 (all versions), Windows 7 (all versions), Windows 8.1 (all versions), Windows RT 8.1, Windows Server 2008/2008 R2, Windows Server 2012/2012 R2, Windows Server 2016 (all versions including 20h2).
    Affected if Your Windows version matches any of the affected versions listed above.
  2. Confirm Print Spooler service is running
    Open Services (services.msc) or run 'Get-Service Spooler' in PowerShell to check if the Print Spooler service (service name: Spooler) is currently running.
    Affected if The Spooler service status shows "Running" - this means the vulnerable component is active.
  3. Check Print Spooler service startup type
    Run 'Get-Service Spooler | Select-Object Name, Status, StartType' in PowerShell or check the service properties in services.msc to see the startup type.
    Affected if The service is set to Automatic or Automatic (Delayed Start) and is running - you are exposed. If set to Disabled and not running, you are not affected by this vulnerability.

You are affected if you are running any of the listed Windows versions AND the Print Spooler (Spooler) service is enabled and running on your system.

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 this CVE. If the Print Spooler service is not required in the environment, it can be disabled as a defense-in-depth measure.

Recommended fix High confidence

Install the May 2022 Windows Security Update (KB5014011 for Windows 10 21h2, KB5014012 for Windows 10 21h1, KB5014023 for Windows 10 20h2, or the corresponding update for your Windows version)

  1. Open Windows Update on the affected system (Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update)
  2. Click 'Check for updates' to download and install the latest security updates
  3. Ensure the May 2022 security update (or later) is installed, which contains the fix for CVE-2022-26796
  4. Restart the system if prompted to complete the installation
  5. Verify the patch is installed by checking Windows Update history for the May 2022 Cumulative Update or later
  6. Alternatively, manually download and install the specific security update from the Microsoft Update Catalog for your Windows version
Caveat Standard Windows Update risks apply - ensure backups and test in non-production environments before broad deployment

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
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2022-26796 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