CVE-2026-32184: Microsoft High Performance Compute (HPC) Pack Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
CVE-2026-32184 is an elevation of privilege vulnerability in Microsoft High Performance Compute (HPC) Pack, 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 1.93% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 80% 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-2026-32184
- 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-502
- EPSS
- 1.93% (percentile 80%)
- CISA KEV
- Not listed
- Released
- Last updated
- Patch Tuesday
- April 2026 Patch Tuesday
- Product families
- Azure
CVSS score and vector
Microsoft scores CVE-2026-32184 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
Deserialization of untrusted data in Microsoft High Performance Compute Pack (HPC) allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Frequently asked questions (Microsoft)
What privileges could be gained by an attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability?
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain SYSTEM privileges.
What do customers need to do to mitigate this vulnerability?
Customers should install the latest security update for HPC Pack 2019 Update 3 on affected systems. Microsoft has released HPC Pack 2019 Update 3 Fixes (Build 6.3.8355), which includes all previously released fixes for this vulnerability. Customers running HPC Pack 2019 Update 3 can apply this update directly, regardless of whether earlier fixes were installed. Customers using earlier versions of HPC Pack must first upgrade to HPC Pack 2019 Update 3 (Build 6.3.8328) before applying the fix. HPC Pack 2016 is not supported for this update; customers using that version must migrate to HPC Pack 2019 Update 3 to be protected. This update applies only to head nodes and updates a limited set of binaries related to the HPC Scheduler and Management services. Other node types are not affected and do not require action.
Is a fix available for HPC Pack 2016?
No. There are no QFE updates available for HPC Pack 2016. Customers using HPC Pack 2016 must migrate to HPC Pack 2019 Update 3 and then apply the available QFE to receive the fix.
Do I need to apply the QFE to all nodes in an HPC Pack cluster?
No. The QFE only needs to be applied to the head nodes of the HPC Pack cluster. Compute nodes are not affected and do not require the update.
Affected products (1)
Azure
| Product | Security update | Type | Fixed build | Restart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft HPC Pack 2019 | Release Notes | Security Update | 6.3.8355 | No |
NIST NVD data
- NVD status
- Analyzed
- NVD CVSS
- 7.8 (HIGH)
- NVD weakness
- CWE-502
- Published to NVD
- NVD last modified
Affected configurations (CPE)
| Product | Vulnerable versions |
|---|---|
| hpc pack | before 6.3.8355 |
References
- https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-32184 (Vendor Advisory)
Acknowledgments
- Long Zhang
Revision history
| Version | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Information published. |