Microsoft Defender Zero-Day Vulnerabilities: CVE-2026-41091 and CVE-2026-45498
In May 2026, Microsoft disclosed two zero-day vulnerabilities in its Defender security platform: CVE-2026-41091 and CVE-2026-45498. CVE-2026-41091 is a privilege escalation flaw in the Microsoft Malware Protection Engine, allowing attackers to gain SYSTEM privileges through improper link resolution. CVE-2026-45498 is a denial-of-service vulnerability in the Microsoft Defender Antimalware Platform, enabling threat actors to disrupt Windows devices. Both vulnerabilities were actively exploited before patches were released. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added these vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, mandating federal agencies to apply patches by June 3, 2026. This incident underscores the critical need for organizations to maintain up-to-date security measures and promptly address vulnerabilities in widely used security tools.
Kill Chain