{"id":"CVE-2026-41091","url":"https://www.cyber-defence.io/tools/cve/CVE-2026-41091","generatedAt":"2026-10-28T15:30:13.306Z","title":"Microsoft Defender Link Following Vulnerability","description":"Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Microsoft Defender allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.","published":"2026-05-20T13:16:29.000Z","lastModified":"2026-07-24T10:10:00.000Z","status":"Analyzed","sourceIdentifier":"secure@microsoft.com","cvss":{"version":"3.1","score":7.8,"severity":"HIGH","vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"},"cwe":["CWE-59"],"affected":["microsoft/malware protection engine"],"epss":{"score":0.08202,"percentile":0.94849,"date":"2026-10-27","history":[{"date":"2026-09-24","score":0.00443,"percentile":0.35836},{"date":"2026-10-25","score":0.08202,"percentile":0.94838}]},"kev":{"listed":true,"dateAdded":"2026-05-20","dueDate":"2026-06-03","knownRansomwareCampaignUse":"Unknown","notes":"Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.\nhttps://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2026-41091 ; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-41091"},"exploits":{"count":0,"verified":false,"firstPublished":null,"source":"Exploit-DB (https://gitlab.com/exploit-database/exploitdb)","entries":[]},"verdict":{"level":"urgent","text":"Known to be exploited in the wild (CISA KEV, CISA remediation deadline 3 June 2026). Treat as an emergency change: patch or isolate now, then hunt for prior compromise."},"changes":[{"kind":"epss","label":"EPSS jump","at":"2026-10-25T00:00:00.000Z","detail":{"to":0.08202,"from":0.00443,"percentile":0.94838},"summary":"EPSS moved from 0.4% to 8.2% probability of exploitation in the next thirty days."}],"references":[{"url":"https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-41091","tags":["Vendor Advisory"],"source":"secure@microsoft.com"},{"url":"https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-41091","tags":["Third Party Advisory","US Government Resource"],"source":"134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0"}],"sources":{"nvd":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-41091","epss":"https://www.first.org/epss/","kev":"https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog","exploitdb":"https://www.exploit-db.com/"},"licence":"CC BY 4.0 — link back to the CVE Explorer if you publish the results; upstream data remains subject to its own terms."}