<p>A remote code execution vulnerability exists when the Windows Print Spooler service improperly performs privileged file operations. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.</p> <p>UPDATE July 7, 2021: The security update for Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2016 and Windows 10, Version 1607 have been released. Please see the Security Updates table for the applicable update for your system. We recommend that you install these updates immediately. If you are unable to install these updates, see the FAQ and Workaround sections in this CVE for information on how to help protect your system from this vulnerability.</p> <p>In addition to installing the updates, in order to secure your system, you must confirm that the following registry settings are set to 0 (zero) or are not defined (<strong>Note</strong>: These registry keys do not exist by default, and therefore are already at the secure setting.), also that your Group Policy setting are correct (see FAQ):</p> <ul> <li>HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Printers\PointAndPrint</li> <li>NoWarningNoElevationOnInstall = 0 (DWORD) or not defined (default setting)</li> <li>UpdatePromptSettings = 0 (DWORD) or not defined (default setting)</li> </ul> <p><strong>Having NoWarningNoElevationOnInstall set to 1 makes your system vulnerable by design.</strong></p> <p>UPDATE July 6, 2021: Microsoft has completed the investigation and has released security updates to address this vulnerability. Please see the Security Updates table for the applicable update for your system. We recommend that you install these updates immediately. If you are unable to install these updates, see the FAQ and Workaround sections in this CVE for information on how to help protect your system from this vulnerability. See also <a href="https://support.microsoft.com/topic/31b91c02-05bc-4ada-a7ea-183b129578a7">KB5005010: Restricting installation of new printer drivers after applying the July 6, 2021 updates</a>.</p> <p>Note that the security updates released on and after July 6, 2021 contain protections for CVE-2021-1675 and the additional remote code execution exploit in the Windows Print Spooler service known as “PrintNightmare”, documented in CVE-2021-34527.</p>
This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.8, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction requiring only low-level privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 17 products from microsoft, from microsoft, from microsoft and 14 others, organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.
Reported in 2021, this vulnerability emerged during an era marked by increased sophistication in supply chain attacks, cloud infrastructure vulnerabilities, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) security challenges. Security practices during this period emphasized zero-trust architectures, container security, and API protection.
2021-07-02T22:15:08.757
2025-12-18T02:00:02.347
Analyzed
CVSSv3.1: 8.8 (HIGH)
AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C
8.0
10.0
| Type | Vendor | Product | Version/Range | Vulnerable? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating System | microsoft | windows_10_1507 | < 10.0.10240.18969 | Yes |
| Operating System | microsoft | windows_10_1607 | < 10.0.14393.4470 | Yes |
| Operating System | microsoft | windows_10_1809 | < 10.0.17763.2029 | Yes |
| Operating System | microsoft | windows_10_20h2 | < 10.0.19042.1083 | Yes |
| Operating System | microsoft | windows_10_21h2 | < 10.0.19044.1415 | Yes |
| Operating System | microsoft | windows_10_22h2 | < 10.0.19045.2251 | Yes |
| Operating System | microsoft | windows_11_21h2 | < 10.0.22000.318 | Yes |
| Operating System | microsoft | windows_11_22h2 | < 10.0.22621.674 | Yes |
| Operating System | microsoft | windows_7 | - | Yes |
| Operating System | microsoft | windows_8.1 | - | Yes |
| Operating System | microsoft | windows_rt_8.1 | - | Yes |
| Operating System | microsoft | windows_server_2008 | - | Yes |
| Operating System | microsoft | windows_server_2008 | r2 | Yes |
| Operating System | microsoft | windows_server_2012 | - | Yes |
| Operating System | microsoft | windows_server_2012 | r2 | Yes |
| Operating System | microsoft | windows_server_2016 | < 10.0.14393.4470 | Yes |
| Operating System | microsoft | windows_server_2019 | < 10.0.17763.2029 | Yes |
| Operating System | microsoft | windows_server_2022 | < 10.0.20348.230 | Yes |
| Operating System | microsoft | windows_server_20h2 | < 10.0.19042.1083 | Yes |
SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For microsoft's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.