SYSTEM privilege escalation via activation-context manifest redirection
Published Nov 9, 2022 · Updated Aug 10, 2026
Privilege escalation in the Windows Print Spooler across affected Windows releases allows local users to gain SYSTEM privileges. Activation-context generation honors an impersonated device-map redirection and reads attacker-modified side-by-side manifests, causing Print Filter Pipeline Service to load an arbitrary DLL. Exploitation requires existing low-privilege local access and yields code execution with SYSTEM integrity.
Summary
What happened
Privilege escalation in the Windows Print Spooler across affected Windows releases allows local users to gain SYSTEM privileges. Activation-context generation honors an impersonated device-map redirection and reads attacker-modified side-by-side manifests, causing Print Filter Pipeline Service to load an arbitrary DLL. Exploitation requires existing low-privilege local access and yields code execution with SYSTEM integrity.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-41073
- Published
- Nov 9, 2022
- Updated
- Aug 10, 2026
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Windows 10 Version 1507
- Classifications
- CWE-787, T1574.002
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Nov 9, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 10, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=10.0.10240.0 <10.0.10240.19567
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Public exploit references
- In-the-wild activation-context privilege-escalation sampleweaponized · observed in use
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Reported exploitation
- CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog entryknown exploited catalog
- Known ransomware-campaign useransomware
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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