CVE-2026-32168: Azure Monitor Agent Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
CVE-2026-32168 is an elevation of privilege vulnerability in Azure Monitor Agent, rated Important by Microsoft, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 (High). An attacker can exploit it by an attacker with local access, with low privileges and without user interaction. Microsoft has not reported exploitation in the wild and rates exploitation as less likely. The EPSS model estimates a 0.31% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 24% of all scored vulnerabilities. Microsoft released the fix on 14 April 2026 in the April 2026 Patch Tuesday. It affects 1 product in 1 product family (Azure).
Key facts
- CVE ID
- CVE-2026-32168
- Severity
- High CVSS 7.8
- Microsoft severity
- Important
- Impact
- Elevation of Privilege
- Exploited in the wild
- No
- Publicly disclosed
- No
- Exploitation likelihood
- Less Likely
- Weakness
- CWE-20
- EPSS
- 0.31% (percentile 24%)
- CISA KEV
- Not listed
- Released
- Last updated
- Patch Tuesday
- April 2026 Patch Tuesday
- Product families
- Azure
CVSS score and vector
Microsoft scores CVE-2026-32168 at 7.8 (temporal 6.8) using CVSS 3.1. Vector: 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
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack vector | Local |
| Attack complexity | Low |
| Privileges required | Low |
| User interaction | None |
| Scope | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality impact | High |
| Integrity impact | High |
| Availability impact | High |
| Exploit code maturity | Unproven |
| Remediation level | Official fix |
| Report confidence | Confirmed |
Description
Improper input validation in Azure Monitor Agent allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Frequently asked questions (Microsoft)
What privileges could an attacker gain with successful exploitation?
An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could elevate their privileges to 'root' user.
How could an attacker exploit this vulnerability?
An attacker with the ability to run code as the syslog user on an affected Azure Linux Virtual Machine could modify specific configuration files used by the Azure Monitor agent. The agent processes these files with root‑level permissions and does not properly validate their contents, a malicious modification could cause the agent to execute unintended commands with elevated privileges. If exploited, the attacker could gain root access on the affected VM.
Affected products (1)
Azure
| Product | Security update | Type | Fixed build | Restart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azure Monitor Agent | Release Notes | Security Update | 1.35.9 | No |
NIST NVD data
- NVD status
- Analyzed
- NVD CVSS
- 7.8 (HIGH)
- NVD weakness
- CWE-20
- Published to NVD
- NVD last modified
Affected configurations (CPE)
| Product | Vulnerable versions |
|---|---|
| azure monitor agent | before 1.35.9 |
References
- https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-32168 (Vendor Advisory)
Acknowledgments
- P1hcn
Revision history
| Version | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Information published. |