CVE-2026-41086: Windows Admin Center in Azure Portal Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
CVE-2026-41086 is an elevation of privilege vulnerability in Windows Admin Center in Azure Portal, rated Important by Microsoft, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8 (High). An attacker can exploit it remotely over the network, 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 0.43% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 37% of all scored vulnerabilities. Microsoft released the fix on 12 May 2026 in the May 2026 Patch Tuesday. It affects 1 product in 1 product family (Azure).
Key facts
- CVE ID
- CVE-2026-41086
- Severity
- High CVSS 8.8
- Microsoft severity
- Important
- Impact
- Elevation of Privilege
- Exploited in the wild
- No
- Publicly disclosed
- No
- Exploitation likelihood
- Less Likely
- Weakness
- CWE-284
- EPSS
- 0.43% (percentile 37%)
- CISA KEV
- Not listed
- Released
- Last updated
- Patch Tuesday
- May 2026 Patch Tuesday
- Product families
- Azure
CVSS score and vector
Microsoft scores CVE-2026-41086 at 8.8 (temporal 7.7) using CVSS 3.1. Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack vector | Network |
| 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 access control in Windows Admin Center allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network.
Frequently asked questions (Microsoft)
How could an attacker exploit this vulnerability?
An authenticated attacker with low‑privileged access could exploit this vulnerability by sending a specially crafted request to the affected Windows Admin Center update API, allowing them to perform actions that their assigned permissions should not normally permit.
Affected products (1)
Azure
| Product | Security update | Type | Fixed build | Restart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows Admin Center in Azure Portal | Release Notes | Security Update | 0.76.0.0 | No |
NIST NVD data
- NVD status
- Analyzed
- NVD CVSS
- 8.8 (HIGH)
- NVD weakness
- CWE-284
- Published to NVD
- NVD last modified
Affected configurations (CPE)
| Product | Vulnerable versions |
|---|---|
| windows admin center | before 2.6.7 |
References
- https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-41086 (Vendor Advisory)
Acknowledgments
- N4ichimi
Revision history
| Version | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Information published. | |
| 1.1 | Updated the build numbers. This is an informational update only. | |
| 1.2 | Updated an acknowledgement. This is an informational change only. |