Microsoft Defender
CVE-2026-41091 — Microsoft Defender Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
Executive Summary
Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Microsoft Defender allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Overview
7.8
CVSS HIGH
Important
MS Severity
Exploited
MS Exploit Status
Exploitation Detected
MS Exploit Likelihood
CVSS Vector
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
ATTACK VECTOR
Local
ATTACK COMPLEXITY
Low
PRIVILEGES REQUIRED
Low
USER INTERACTION
None
SCOPE
Unchanged
CONFIDENTIALITY
High
INTEGRITY
High
AVAILABILITY
High
EXPLOIT CODE MATURITY
Unproven
REMEDIATION LEVEL
Official Fix
REPORT CONFIDENCE
Confirmed
Temporal Score: 6.8
EPSS Score
0.01172
probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
0.63374 percentile - updated 2026-06-21
View on FIRST.org
Affected Products
1 affected product
| Product | KB Article | Severity | Impact | Restart Required |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Malware Protection Engine | Release Notes (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | No |
Patches
1 patch
| Article | Type | Restart |
|---|---|---|
Release Notes |
Security Update | No |
Known Exploits
No known exploits have been linked for this CVE yet. When available, exploit references will be sourced from public repositories and may be unverified, incomplete, or non-functional. Always review code carefully before use in any environment.
Acknowledgments
Damir Moldovanov, ACD421, Anonymous, Diffract, Sibusiso
References
On This Page