CVE-2026-41091
Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Microsoft Defender allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
ACTIVELY EXPLOITED IN THE WILD
This vulnerability is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.
Microsoft Defender Link Following Vulnerability
Microsoft Defender
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
5/20/2026
https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2026-41091 ; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-41091
Vulnerability Summary
CVSS v3 Score
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score (Exploitation Probability)
This vulnerability has a 8.01% probability of being exploited in the next 30 days, ranking higher than 92% of all scored CVEs.
CWE Classification
Related Vulnerabilities
Same Weakness Type(CWE-59)
Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Host Process for Windows Tasks allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Git is a fast, scalable, distributed revision control system with an unusually rich command set that provides both high-level operations and full access to internals. When reading a config value, Git strips any trailing carriage return and line feed (CRLF). When writing a config entry, values with a trailing CR are not quoted, causing the CR to be lost when the config is later read. When initializing a submodule, if the submodule path contains a trailing CR, the altered path is read resulting in the submodule being checked out to an incorrect location. If a symlink exists that points the altered path to the submodule hooks directory, and the submodule contains an executable post-checkout hook, the script may be unintentionally executed after checkout. This vulnerability is fixed in v2.43.7, v2.44.4, v2.45.4, v2.46.4, v2.47.3, v2.48.2, v2.49.1, and v2.50.1.
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