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CVE-2026-41091

Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Microsoft Defender allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Lifecycle PUBLISHED1 preserved revisionFact urn:baitaphish:canonical-cve-fact-revision:v2:d9c3603e1e149aea1dbce3268e0208df3e8c2fbb90c7338dc27036c7ad950483
Known exploited
CISA KEV
Disputed
No
Stale source
No
Conflicts
0

Affected products and versions

1 source assertion
{"product":"Microsoft Malware Protection Engine","vendor":"Microsoft","versions":[{"lessThan":"1.1.26040.8","status":"affected","version":"1.1.0.0","versionType":"custom"}]}
  • cve_program_cvelist_v5affected
    urn:baitaphish:normalized-source-record:v2:865956dd1e2c2ec875aaf2023e3fc230d1a42a25595d460bf14d51b00c5cf526 · sha256:df1258de4fd6afe4… · /containers/cna/affected/0

Provider-owned CVSS observations

1 source assertion
{"metric":{"baseScore":7.8,"baseSeverity":"HIGH","vectorString":"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","version":"3.1"},"metric_type":"cvssV3_1"}
  • cve_program_cvelist_v5cvss
    urn:baitaphish:normalized-source-record:v2:865956dd1e2c2ec875aaf2023e3fc230d1a42a25595d460bf14d51b00c5cf526 · sha256:df1258de4fd6afe4… · /containers/cna/metrics/0/cvssV3_1

CWE assertions

1 source assertion
{"cweId":"CWE-59","description":"CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')","lang":"en-US","type":"CWE"}
  • cve_program_cvelist_v5cwe
    urn:baitaphish:normalized-source-record:v2:865956dd1e2c2ec875aaf2023e3fc230d1a42a25595d460bf14d51b00c5cf526 · sha256:df1258de4fd6afe4… · /containers/cna/problemTypes/0/descriptions/0

Known exploitation assertions

2 source assertions
{"cwes":["CWE-59"],"dateAdded":"2026-05-20","dueDate":"2026-06-03","knownRansomwareCampaignUse":"Unknown","notes":"https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2026-41091 ; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-41091","product":"Defender","requiredAction":"Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.","shortDescription":"Microsoft Defender contains a link following vulnerability that allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.","vendor…
  • cisa_kev_jsonknown_exploited
    urn:baitaphish:normalized-source-record:v2:44742da705aeafc7ca1448be4e03233ca736fa3818b433bbdfbbce3bc829011d · sha256:16acee8334e59e44… · /vulnerabilities/63
    Open source location →
{"cwes":["CWE-59"],"dateAdded":"2026-05-20","dueDate":"2026-06-03","knownRansomwareCampaignUse":"Unknown","notes":"https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2026-41091 ; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-41091","product":"Defender","requiredAction":"Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.","shortDescription":"Microsoft Defender contains a link following vulnerability that allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.","vendor…
  • cisa_kev_jsonknown_exploited
    urn:baitaphish:normalized-source-record:v2:520f0e0e928620589abf9a5025452d6f01ce0f9259e7ad8a477585b7ae13a84f · sha256:635dff916c4092c0… · /vulnerabilities/66
    Open source location →

Source references

2 source assertions
{"name":"Microsoft Defender Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability","tags":["vendor-advisory","patch"],"url":"https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-41091"}
  • cve_program_cvelist_v5reference
    urn:baitaphish:normalized-source-record:v2:865956dd1e2c2ec875aaf2023e3fc230d1a42a25595d460bf14d51b00c5cf526 · sha256:df1258de4fd6afe4… · /containers/cna/references/0
{"tags":["government-resource"],"url":"https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-41091"}
  • cve_program_cvelist_v5reference
    urn:baitaphish:normalized-source-record:v2:865956dd1e2c2ec875aaf2023e3fc230d1a42a25595d460bf14d51b00c5cf526 · sha256:df1258de4fd6afe4… · /containers/adp/0/references/0

Attribution and limitations

  • CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities JSON: CISA named for provenance; do not use CISA/DHS marks or imply endorsement Source →
  • CVE Program CVEList V5: Reproduce the MITRE copyright designation and CVE license in copies. Source →

Provider severity values are preserved separately. Baitaphish does not convert them into a risk rating, infer affected products, or treat EPSS as observed exploitation.

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