Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability in Microsoft Defender
CVE-2026-41091

7.8HIGH

Key Information:

Vendor

Microsoft
Status
Microsoft Malware Protection Engine
Vendor
CVE Published:
20 May 2026

What is CVE-2026-41091?

An issue has been identified in Microsoft Defender that could allow an authorized attacker to gain elevated privileges through improper link resolution before file access, also known as link following. This vulnerability could enable attackers to manipulate file paths, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive system resources.

Affected Version(s)

Microsoft Malware Protection Engine -

References

https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE...
vendor-advisorypatch

CVSS V3.1

Score:
7.8
Severity:
HIGH
Confidentiality:
High
Integrity:
High
Availability:
High
Attack Vector:
Local
Attack Complexity:
Low
Privileges Required:
Low
User Interaction:
None
Scope:
Unchanged

Timeline

  • Vulnerability published

  • Vulnerability Reserved

.