SB2026052118 - Privilege escalation in Microsoft Malware Protection Engine
Published: May 21, 2026
Security Bulletin ID
SB2026052118
CSH Severity
High
Patch available
YES
Number of vulnerabilities
1
Exploitation vector
Local access
Highest impact
Code execution
Breakdown by Severity
- Low
- Medium
- High
- Critical
Description
This security bulletin contains information about 1 vulnerability.
1) Link following (CVE-ID: CVE-2026-41091)
CWE-ID: CWE-59 - Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
CVSSv4: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:A/U:Amber
The vulnerability allows a local user to escalate privileges on the system.
The vulnerability exists due to an insecure link following issue. A local user can create a specially crafted symbolic link to a critical file on the system and overwrite it with elevated privileges.
Note, the vulnerability is being actively exploited in the wild.
Remediation
Install update from vendor's website.