How severe is CVE-2022-22718?

CVE-2022-22718 has a CVSS score of 7.8/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which products are affected by CVE-2022-22718?

CVE-2022-22718 affects the following products: microsoft windows 7, microsoft windows 8.1, microsoft windows 10 20h2, microsoft windows 10 21h1, microsoft windows 10 21h2, microsoft windows 10 1507, microsoft windows 10 1607, microsoft windows 10 1809, and 9 more.

How do I patch CVE-2022-22718?

Apply the microsoft windows 7 security patch or hotfix for CVE-2022-22718 on the affected version, following the vendor advisory for your exact build.

How do I detect CVE-2022-22718 across my infrastructure?

Inventory every microsoft windows 7 deployment and check each version against the affected-products list above.

How do I mitigate CVE-2022-22718 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands. Alongside that, restrict the management interface to trusted networks and apply the vendor's recommended configuration mitigations.

Is CVE-2022-22718 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 3 known exploit references for CVE-2022-22718, including 3 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2022-22718?

CVE-2022-22718 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 18.5%, placing it in the 97th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score warrants monitoring and prompt remediation.

Is CVE-2022-22718 in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog?

Yes. CVE-2022-22718 (Microsoft Windows Print Spooler Privilege Escalation Vulnerability) was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2022-04-19. CISA required all US federal civilian agencies to remediate this vulnerability by 2022-05-10. The required action was: Apply updates per vendor instructions. Being listed in the KEV catalog is the strongest possible confirmation of active exploitation — treat this as a critical priority.

Which products and versions are affected by CVE-2022-22718?

CVE-2022-22718 affects microsoft windows 7; microsoft windows 8.1; microsoft windows 10 20h2; microsoft windows 10 21h1, and 13 more product(s). Check the affected-products list on this page against your deployed version to confirm exposure.

When was CVE-2022-22718 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2022-22718 was published on February 9, 2022 and was last updated on June 17, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

🛡️

CISA KEV · ACTIVELY EXPLOITED

HIGH severity

CVE-2022-22718 — Windows 7

HIGH

CVE-2022-22718 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.8) vulnerability in microsoft windows 7. It is in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-04-19) — treat it as actively exploited and patch now. A fix is available — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Windows Print Spooler Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

Published

Feb 9, 2022

Updated

Jun 17, 2026

Affected

17 products

Patched

See advisory

Exploits

3 known

Exploitation data as of Oct 24, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, CISA KEV, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

Actively exploited in the wild

Confirmed by CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-04-19. Federal agencies were required to remediate by 2022-05-10.
A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA (KEV catalog and SSVC triage) for CVE-2022-22718.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

18.5%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Moderate Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs97th percentile — riskier than 97% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

CVE-2022-22718 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.

Where this sits among everything scored

Of 395,249 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the 10–50% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.

Description

Windows Print Spooler Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

Affected Products

17 products · 19 configurations

windows 7microsoft

all

windows 8.1microsoft

all

windows 10 20h2microsoft

< 10.0.19042.1526

range

windows 10 21h1microsoft

< 10.0.19043.1526

range

windows 10 21h2microsoft

< 10.0.19044.1526

range

windows 10 1507microsoft

< 10.0.10240.19204

range

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

Windows Print Spooler Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

github.comAPIFeb 2022

Windows Print Spooler Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

cisa.govAPIApr 2022

Windows Print Spooler Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

cisa.govCISAApr 2022

Detection & mitigation playbook

Vendor / appliance

Detect
Inventory every microsoft windows 7 deployment and check each version against the affected-products list above.
Fix
Apply the microsoft windows 7 security patch or hotfix for CVE-2022-22718 on the affected version, following the vendor advisory for your exact build.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands. Alongside that, restrict the management interface to trusted networks and apply the vendor's recommended configuration mitigations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Windows Print Spooler Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

O3 Security · Runtime Protection

Is CVE-2022-22718 being exploited in your environment?

Detect and block the exploit chain at execution, on systems you cannot patch yet.

Protect my workloads How runtime protection works

CVE-2022-22718 — Windows 7

Exploitation Status

Actively exploited in the wild

EPSS Exploitation Probability

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Description

Affected Products

Detection & mitigation playbook

Detect

Fix

Workarounds

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CVE-2022-22718 being exploited in your environment?