Threats / Microsoft / CVE-2022-38028
CVE-2022-38028
· EUVD no mirror located
· GCVE no mirror located
Verified 2026-08-04
Microsoft Windows vulnerability
Microsoft Windows Print Spooler service contains a privilege escalation vulnerability allowing attackers to modify JavaScript constraints files and execute code with SYSTEM-level permissions.
Verdict
Today item — known-exploited.
A local privilege escalation in Windows Print Spooler enables attackers to gain SYSTEM access by manipulating JavaScript constraint files. The vulnerability has been exploited in the wild and poses significant risk to Windows systems.
CISA KEV Yes · 2024-04-235EPSS 0.14949 (verify live)6CVSS 7.83CISA SSVC Exploitation: active · Automatable: no · Impact: total4
01
Is it exploitable?
— the evidence, ranked above the scoreReported exploitation
13 independent public reports of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2024-04-23).
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.14949 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
CVSS 7.8 (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C) · Affected: Microsoft, Windows. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.CVSS — CNA-assigned (CVE.org), version 3.1, set at disclosure.
CISA SSVC (triage disposition)
Exploitation: active · Automatable: no · Technical Impact: totalCISA's own stakeholder-specific triage inputs, published in the CVE record (CISA Coordinator role). NOTE: this is CISA's three decision points; the final Act/Attend/Track decision also requires a Mission & Well-being input not published here, so no overall decision is asserted.
Currency of the record
CISA added this to its KEV catalog 560 days after the CVE record was published.KEV lag = CISA-KEV dateAdded − CVE.org datePublished; a floor on how long the known-exploited flaw sat in the public record before the federal catalog listed it. Severity/weakness here is CNA- or CISA-assigned (current at disclosure), independent of NVD's analysis backlog.
02
Who’s exploiting it?
— attribution turns risk into urgencyAttribution not established
No confirmed (advisory-backed) threat-actor attribution is established for this record. Absence of a named actor is not absence of compromise — see Coverage & confidence.
03
Why it matters
— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board1
Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1
Attacker
I gain initial access to a Windows system with limited user privileges.
Business
An attacker establishes a foothold on the network with standard user permissions.
2
Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2
Attacker
I locate and modify a JavaScript constraints file used by the Print Spooler service.
Business
The attacker identifies and manipulates a trusted system component without detection.
3
Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3
Attacker
I trigger the Print Spooler to execute my modified JavaScript file with SYSTEM-level permissions.
Business
The attacker escalates privileges to SYSTEM level through a trusted Windows service.
4
Data at risk — exfiltration narrative 4
Attacker
I now have full control of the compromised system with the highest privilege level.
Business
Complete system compromise enables lateral movement, data exfiltration, and persistent access.
04
What to do
— defensible action- Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
05