{"id":"CVE-2022-41073","published":"2022-11-09T22:15:21Z","modified":"2026-08-10T16:18:19Z","title":"Microsoft Windows Print Spooler Privilege Escalation Vulnerability","vendor":"Microsoft","product":"Windows","tier":"core","eol":null,"description":{"text":"Windows Print Spooler Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability","provenance":"source","from":"NVD"},"summary":{"text":"The Windows Print Spooler component of Microsoft Windows contains a privilege escalation flaw, classified as an out-of-bounds write. An attacker who already has local access with low-level privileges and no user interaction can exploit it to gain elevated privileges.","provenance":"ai","model":"claude-haiku-5-5","generatedAt":"2026-10-23T07:03:11Z"},"cvss":{"score":7.8,"severity":"HIGH","version":"3.1","vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","provenance":"source","from":"NVD"},"epss":{"score":0.02362,"percentile":0.83741,"date":"2026-10-29","provenance":"source"},"kev":{"dateAdded":"2022-11-08","dueDate":"2022-12-09","ransomware":true,"requiredAction":"Apply updates per vendor instructions.","notes":"https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2022-41073;  https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-41073","provenance":"source"},"vulncheckKev":{"dateAdded":"2022-11-08","exploitedFirstSeen":"2022-11-08","ransomware":true,"evidence":[{"url":"https://api.msrc.microsoft.com/cvrf/v3.0/cvrf/2022-Nov","date":"2022-11-08"},{"url":"https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lkNJ0uQwbeC1ZTRrxdtuPLCIl7mlUreoKfSIgajnSyY/edit","date":"2022-11-08"},{"url":"https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/feeds/known_exploited_vulnerabilities.json","date":"2022-11-08"},{"url":"https://community.riskiq.com/article/6dc6f62a","date":"2022-12-08"},{"url":"https://raw.githubusercontent.com/blackorbird/APT_REPORT/master/summary/2023/360_APT_Annual_Research_Report_2022.pdf","date":"2023-01-17"}],"evidenceTotal":5,"provenance":"source"},"exploited":true,"otx":{"pulseCount":50,"pulses":[{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 29, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ae20c1db17e7057ae7d9ad1","created":"2026-10-28"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 28, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ae0ba7e0e2a97ff7b218819","created":"2026-10-27"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 27, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6adf68b85c3e852f3c111d18","created":"2026-10-26"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 24, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6adb740e397c3ad4799aa4cd","created":"2026-10-23"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 23, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ada236fcfba2dfa730ea482","created":"2026-10-22"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 22, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad8d33a077cbb5cab524d80","created":"2026-10-21"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 21, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad78130c4d1ac2be83a8b6d","created":"2026-10-20"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 20, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad62f63c24a405a3423cc13","created":"2026-10-19"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 19, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad4dda174e5797d0bd238b7","created":"2026-10-18"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 18, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad38c22e1848f8189d1c121","created":"2026-10-17"}],"provenance":"machine"},"cwes":[{"id":"CWE-787","name":"Out-of-bounds Write"}],"references":[{"url":"https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2022-41073","tags":["Patch","Vendor Advisory"]},{"url":"http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174528/Microsoft-Windows-Privilege-Escalation.html","tags":["Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2022-41073","tags":["Patch","Vendor Advisory"]},{"url":"https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2022-41073","tags":["US Government Resource"]}],"techniques":[{"id":"T1078","name":"Valid Accounts","tactics":["initial-access","persistence","privilege-escalation","stealth"],"provenance":"source","basis":"ctid-kev","bases":["ctid-kev"],"basisDetail":"CTID Mappings Explorer KEV 07/28/2025 (ATT&CK 16.1); capability: Privilege Escalation","mappingType":"exploitation_technique","evidence":[],"comment":"This vulnerability is exploited by an attacker who has obtained access to manipulate the Print Spooler service on the target system. The vulnerability lies in the Print Spooler, specifically involving XML manipulation and path traversal to a writable path containing a modified version of the `prntvpt.dll` file. This vulnerability has been exploited by threat actors to load unauthorized code on Windows systems. Attackers leveraged this flaw to execute arbitrary code, allowing them to manipulate system processes and potentially deploy additional malware or perform further malicious activities.\n\nThe exploit in question is actively being used in the wild. It involves exploiting the path traversal vulnerability to load a malicious DLL by manipulating the Print Spooler service. Once the vulnerability is exploited, attackers can bypass impersonation controls to load untrusted resources, thereby executing arbitrary code with elevated privileges.","confidence":"high"},{"id":"T1068","name":"Exploitation for Privilege Escalation","tactics":["privilege-escalation"],"provenance":"source","basis":"ctid-kev","bases":["ctid-kev"],"basisDetail":"CTID Mappings Explorer KEV 07/28/2025 (ATT&CK 16.1); capability: Privilege Escalation","mappingType":"primary_impact","evidence":[],"comment":"This vulnerability is exploited by an attacker who has obtained access to manipulate the Print Spooler service on the target system. The vulnerability lies in the Print Spooler, specifically involving XML manipulation and path traversal to a writable path containing a modified version of the `prntvpt.dll` file. This vulnerability has been exploited by threat actors to load unauthorized code on Windows systems. Attackers leveraged this flaw to execute arbitrary code, allowing them to manipulate system processes and potentially deploy additional malware or perform further malicious activities.\n\nThe exploit in question is actively being used in the wild. It involves exploiting the path traversal vulnerability to load a malicious DLL by manipulating the Print Spooler service. Once the vulnerability is exploited, attackers can bypass impersonation controls to load untrusted resources, thereby executing arbitrary code with elevated privileges.","confidence":"high"},{"id":"T1574","name":"Hijack Execution Flow","tactics":["execution","stealth"],"provenance":"source","basis":"ctid-kev","bases":["ctid-kev"],"basisDetail":"CTID Mappings Explorer KEV 07/28/2025 (ATT&CK 16.1); capability: Privilege Escalation","mappingType":"secondary_impact","evidence":[],"comment":"This vulnerability is exploited by an attacker who has obtained access to manipulate the Print Spooler service on the target system. The vulnerability lies in the Print Spooler, specifically involving XML manipulation and path traversal to a writable path containing a modified version of the `prntvpt.dll` file. This vulnerability has been exploited by threat actors to load unauthorized code on Windows systems. Attackers leveraged this flaw to execute arbitrary code, allowing them to manipulate system processes and potentially deploy additional malware or perform further malicious activities.\n\nThe exploit in question is actively being used in the wild. It involves exploiting the path traversal vulnerability to load a malicious DLL by manipulating the Print Spooler service. Once the vulnerability is exploited, attackers can bypass impersonation controls to load untrusted resources, thereby executing arbitrary code with elevated privileges.","confidence":"high"}],"reports":[],"affected":[],"advisories":[],"euvd":{"id":"EUVD-2022-44317","url":"https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/EUVD-2022-44317","exploited":true,"exploitedSince":"2022-11-08","provenance":"source"},"exploits":[],"exploitSources":null,"exploitRefs":["http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174528/Microsoft-Windows-Privilege-Escalation.html"],"flow":[{"stage":"exploitation","techniques":["T1078"],"provenance":"source"},{"stage":"primary","techniques":["T1068"],"provenance":"source"},{"stage":"secondary","techniques":["T1574"],"provenance":"source"}],"timeline":[{"date":"2022-11-08","kind":"exploited-reported","label":"Exploitation first reported (VulnCheck KEV evidence)","url":"https://api.msrc.microsoft.com/cvrf/v3.0/cvrf/2022-Nov","provenance":"source"},{"date":"2022-11-08","kind":"kev","label":"Added to CISA KEV (known ransomware use)","url":"https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog","provenance":"source"},{"date":"2022-11-08","kind":"euvd-exploited","label":"ENISA EUVD: exploited","url":"https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/EUVD-2022-44317","provenance":"source"},{"date":"2022-11-09","kind":"published","label":"Published (NVD)","url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-41073","provenance":"source"}],"speed":{"daysToPublicExploit":null,"firstExploitFrom":null,"daysToKev":null},"priority":{"score":75.2,"factors":[{"name":"In a KEV catalog","points":35.0,"detail":"listed in CISA KEV and VulnCheck KEV"},{"name":"Recent KEV listing","points":0.0,"detail":"added 1451 days ago"},{"name":"Known ransomware use","points":10.0,"detail":"CISA KEV and VulnCheck KEV: Known"},{"name":"EPSS percentile","points":16.75,"detail":"percentile 0.8374"},{"name":"Named in threat reports","points":0.0,"detail":"0 reports"},{"name":"Public exploit code","points":5.0,"detail":"1 NVD exploit link"},{"name":"Mentioned in OTX pulses","points":3.0,"detail":"50 pulses"},{"name":"CVSS severity","points":5.46,"detail":"base score 7.8"},{"name":"End-of-life product","points":0.0,"detail":"supported or unknown"}]},"lineage":{"familyId":"fam-class-microsoft-windows-cwe-787"}}