Microsoft · Defender
CVE-2026-41091
Microsoft Defender Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
What it is
Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Microsoft Defender allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
CISA: Microsoft Defender contains a link following vulnerability that allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
What to do
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Deadline for US federal agencies: June 3, 2026
More exploited flaws from Microsoft
| Added | Vulnerability | Product | Severity | Attack chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 2026 | Denial of Service | Defender | Medium 4.0 | 63% |
| Apr 22, 2026 | Insufficient Granularity of Access Control | Defender | High 7.8 | 6.7% |
| Dec 13, 2022 | SmartScreen Security Feature Bypass | Defender | Medium 5.4 | 76% |
| Nov 3, 2021 | Remote Code Execution | Defender | High 7.8 | 40% |
| Oct 13, 2026 | Command Injection | Windows | High 8.8 | 9.8% |
| Sep 25, 2026 | Code Injection | SharePoint | High 8.8 | 8.2% |
| Sep 8, 2026 | Link Following | Windows | High 7.8 | 0.4% |
| Sep 8, 2026 | Heap-Based Buffer Overflow | Windows | High 7.8 | 0.4% |
Sources: Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (CISA, public domain), CVE records (cve.org) and EPSS (FIRST). The chance of attacks is the EPSS estimate that someone will try to exploit the flaw in the next 30 days.