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CVE-2021-34527NVD

Vulnerability Summary

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.
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.
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 (Note: 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):

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Printers\PointAndPrint
NoWarningNoElevationOnInstall = 0 (DWORD) or not defined (default setting)
UpdatePromptSettings = 0 (DWORD) or not defined (default setting)

Having NoWarningNoElevationOnInstall set to 1 makes your system vulnerable by design.
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 KB5005010: Restricting installation of new printer drivers after applying the July 6, 2021 updates.
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.
Severity Level
HIGH(8.8)
Published Date
Jul 2, 2021
Last Modified
Aug 10, 2026
PoC
Available(Metasploit)
Exploitation Status
ACTIVE
EPSS Score (30-Day)
99.79%Probability
Root Weakness (CWE)
N/A
CVSS v3.1 Base Metrics — Score 8.8 (HIGH)
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredLow
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh

Affected & Patched Versions

Affected Versions
  • Microsoft Windows 10 1507 < 10.0.10240.18969
  • Microsoft Windows 10 1607 < 10.0.14393.4470
  • Microsoft Windows 10 1809 < 10.0.17763.2029
  • Microsoft Windows 10 20h2 < 10.0.19042.1083
  • Microsoft Windows 10 21h2 < 10.0.19044.1415
  • Microsoft Windows 10 22h2 < 10.0.19045.2251
  • Microsoft Windows 11 21h2 < 10.0.22000.318
  • Microsoft Windows 11 22h2 < 10.0.22621.674
  • Microsoft Windows Rt 8.1
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2012
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2016 < 10.0.14393.4470
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2019 < 10.0.17763.2029
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2022 < 10.0.20348.230
  • Microsoft Windows Server 20h2 < 10.0.19042.1083
Patched Versions
  • Microsoft Windows 10 1507 10.0.10240.18969
  • Microsoft Windows 10 1607 10.0.14393.4470
  • Microsoft Windows 10 1809 10.0.17763.2029
  • Microsoft Windows 10 20h2 10.0.19042.1083
  • Microsoft Windows 10 21h2 10.0.19044.1415
  • Microsoft Windows 10 22h2 10.0.19045.2251
  • Microsoft Windows 11 21h2 10.0.22000.318
  • Microsoft Windows 11 22h2 10.0.22621.674
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2016 10.0.14393.4470
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2019 10.0.17763.2029
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2022 10.0.20348.230
  • Microsoft Windows Server 20h2 10.0.19042.1083
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🎁7-Day Free Trial — Try Pro or Team, no card required.
📧Email Delivery — Threat intel straight to your inbox.
♾️Unlimited Vendors — Track your entire stack.
🚨All New CVEs — Be the first to know.
📈EPSS Spike Alerts — Catch rising risk before it peaks.
🎯Custom EPSS/CVSS — Filter noise, focus on risk.
🛡️Exploit Intel — A 2nd confirmed-exploit signal beyond KEV.
🐙GitHub Issues — Auto-tracked, no duplicates.
📬Weekly Digest — One clean summary, not inbox spam.
🏷️Watchlist Groups — Tag alerts by team (Infra/AppSec/SOC).
💬Webhooks — Slack & Teams integration.
🔀Smart Routing — Critical alerts to one channel, rest to another.
🚫Ad-Free — Uninterrupted experience.