CVE-2026-81963

CRITICALPre-NVD 7.89.0▲
EchelonGraph scoreHIGH confidence

Score elevated to 9.0 because this CVE is listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2026-09-08), indicating real-world exploitation has been confirmed by US federal agencies. the CNA's CVSS baseline 7.8 retained for reference (NVD's own analysis pending). Confidence: HIGH.

Triggered by: CISA KEV (actively exploited)
Sources: cisa_kev, cna:microsoft, epss, ghsa
Trending — KEV-added this weekExploited in the wild
9.0EG
EchelonGraph verdictPatch nowTreat as an emergency — this is being exploited.
  • Actively exploited in the wild (CISA-KEV)
CISA-KEV: ExploitedEPSS PROB: 1%CVSS: 7.8Exploit: cisa kev · ssvc activeExposed: 0

No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.

Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Windows Update Stack allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

CVSS v3
7.8
EG Score
9.0(high)
EG Risk
81(Attend)
EG Risk 81/100SSVC: Attend

EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).

How it’s computed
Severity90% × 45%
Exploitation100% × 40%
Automatability0% × 15%
Action: Remediate soon — notable exploitation risk.
EPSS PROB
1%
EPSS %ILE
49%
KEV
⚠ Exploited

Published

September 8, 2026

Last Modified

September 18, 2026

Advisory Details (2)

Auto-updated Sep 8, 2026
⚠️ Active exploitation confirmed. Patch available. Sources: microsoft, cisa.
cisa Patch Available🔴 Active Exploitation

Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog | CISA

Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog | CISA. Listed in CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-81963
microsoft Patch Available

Security Update Guide - Microsoft Security Response Center

Security Update Guide - Microsoft Security Response Center. Patch available via Microsoft Security Update

https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-81963

Vendor Advisories for CVE-2026-81963(2)

These vendors published their own advisory mentioning this CVE — often with vendor-specific remediation steps + affected product lists not in NVD.

Weakness Classification(2)

MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 119× in last 7d / 209× in last 30d)

Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.

Showing the most recent 100 of 209 total refreshes for this CVE.

  1. 2026-09-20 20:16 UTCEPSS rescore
  2. 2026-09-20 20:02 UTCVendor advisory
  3. 2026-09-20 20:02 UTCGHSA enrichment
  4. 2026-09-20 16:25 UTCVendor advisory
  5. 2026-09-20 16:25 UTCGHSA enrichment
  6. 2026-09-20 12:48 UTCVendor advisory
  7. 2026-09-20 12:48 UTCGHSA enrichment
  8. 2026-09-20 09:11 UTCVendor advisory
  9. 2026-09-20 09:11 UTCGHSA enrichment
  10. 2026-09-20 05:33 UTCVendor advisory
  11. 2026-09-20 05:33 UTCGHSA enrichment
  12. 2026-09-20 01:56 UTCVendor advisory
  13. 2026-09-20 01:55 UTCGHSA enrichment
  14. 2026-09-19 22:18 UTCVendor advisory
  15. 2026-09-19 22:18 UTCGHSA enrichment
  16. 2026-09-19 18:40 UTCEG score recompute
  17. 2026-09-19 18:40 UTCVendor advisory
  18. 2026-09-19 18:40 UTCGHSA enrichment
  19. 2026-09-19 15:02 UTCVendor advisory
  20. 2026-09-19 15:01 UTCGHSA enrichment
  21. 2026-09-19 11:23 UTCVendor advisory
  22. 2026-09-19 11:23 UTCGHSA enrichment
  23. 2026-09-19 07:45 UTCVendor advisory
  24. 2026-09-19 07:45 UTCGHSA enrichment
  25. 2026-09-19 04:08 UTCVendor advisory
Show 75 more
  1. 2026-09-19 04:08 UTCGHSA enrichment
  2. 2026-09-19 00:31 UTCVendor advisory
  3. 2026-09-19 00:31 UTCGHSA enrichment
  4. 2026-09-18 20:54 UTCEG score recompute
  5. 2026-09-18 20:54 UTCVendor advisory
  6. 2026-09-18 20:54 UTCGHSA enrichment
  7. 2026-09-18 19:28 UTCEPSS rescore
  8. 2026-09-18 19:20 UTCCISA KEV update
  9. 2026-09-18 17:37 UTCVendor advisory
  10. 2026-09-18 17:37 UTCGHSA enrichment
  11. 2026-09-18 14:15 UTCCISA KEV update
  12. 2026-09-18 14:00 UTCVendor advisory
  13. 2026-09-18 14:00 UTCGHSA enrichment
  14. 2026-09-18 13:50 UTCVendor advisory
  15. 2026-09-18 13:50 UTCGHSA enrichment
  16. 2026-09-18 10:12 UTCVendor advisory
  17. 2026-09-18 10:12 UTCGHSA enrichment
  18. 2026-09-18 06:35 UTCVendor advisory
  19. 2026-09-18 06:35 UTCGHSA enrichment
  20. 2026-09-18 02:58 UTCVendor advisory
  21. 2026-09-18 02:58 UTCGHSA enrichment
  22. 2026-09-17 23:20 UTCVendor advisory
  23. 2026-09-17 23:20 UTCGHSA enrichment
  24. 2026-09-17 20:05 UTCVendor advisory
  25. 2026-09-17 20:05 UTCGHSA enrichment
  26. 2026-09-17 19:55 UTCEG score recompute
  27. 2026-09-17 19:55 UTCVendor advisory
  28. 2026-09-17 19:55 UTCGHSA enrichment
  29. 2026-09-17 16:18 UTCVendor advisory
  30. 2026-09-17 16:18 UTCGHSA enrichment
  31. 2026-09-17 12:40 UTCVendor advisory
  32. 2026-09-17 12:39 UTCGHSA enrichment
  33. 2026-09-17 08:57 UTCVendor advisory
  34. 2026-09-17 08:57 UTCGHSA enrichment
  35. 2026-09-17 05:19 UTCVendor advisory
  36. 2026-09-17 05:19 UTCGHSA enrichment
  37. 2026-09-17 01:42 UTCVendor advisory
  38. 2026-09-17 01:42 UTCGHSA enrichment
  39. 2026-09-16 22:04 UTCVendor advisory
  40. 2026-09-16 22:04 UTCGHSA enrichment
  41. 2026-09-16 20:43 UTCVendor advisory
  42. 2026-09-16 20:43 UTCGHSA enrichment
  43. 2026-09-16 16:57 UTCEG score recompute
  44. 2026-09-16 16:57 UTCVendor advisory
  45. 2026-09-16 16:57 UTCGHSA enrichment
  46. 2026-09-16 14:10 UTCCISA KEV update
  47. 2026-09-16 14:08 UTCEPSS rescore
  48. 2026-09-16 13:20 UTCVendor advisory
  49. 2026-09-16 13:19 UTCGHSA enrichment
  50. 2026-09-16 09:41 UTCVendor advisory
  51. 2026-09-16 09:40 UTCGHSA enrichment
  52. 2026-09-16 06:03 UTCEG score recompute
  53. 2026-09-16 06:03 UTCVendor advisory
  54. 2026-09-16 06:03 UTCGHSA enrichment
  55. 2026-09-16 05:15 UTCEPSS rescore
  56. 2026-09-16 02:26 UTCVendor advisory
  57. 2026-09-16 02:26 UTCGHSA enrichment
  58. 2026-09-15 22:49 UTCVendor advisory
  59. 2026-09-15 22:49 UTCGHSA enrichment
  60. 2026-09-15 21:22 UTCVendor advisory
  61. 2026-09-15 21:22 UTCGHSA enrichment
  62. 2026-09-15 17:44 UTCVendor advisory
  63. 2026-09-15 17:44 UTCGHSA enrichment
  64. 2026-09-15 17:08 UTCVendor advisory
  65. 2026-09-15 17:07 UTCGHSA enrichment
  66. 2026-09-15 13:30 UTCVendor advisory
  67. 2026-09-15 13:30 UTCGHSA enrichment
  68. 2026-09-15 09:53 UTCVendor advisory
  69. 2026-09-15 09:53 UTCGHSA enrichment
  70. 2026-09-15 06:16 UTCEG score recompute
  71. 2026-09-15 06:16 UTCVendor advisory
  72. 2026-09-15 06:16 UTCGHSA enrichment
  73. 2026-09-15 03:12 UTCEPSS rescore
  74. 2026-09-15 03:12 UTCEPSS rescore
  75. 2026-09-15 02:38 UTCGHSA enrichment

Related CVEs(same CWE)

Frequently asked(6)

What is CVE-2026-81963?
CVE-2026-81963 is a critical vulnerability published on September 8, 2026. Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Windows Update Stack allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
When was CVE-2026-81963 disclosed?
CVE-2026-81963 was first published in the National Vulnerability Database on September 8, 2026, with the most recent update on September 18, 2026. EchelonGraph re-ingests CVE updates from NVD on a 2-hour cycle, so this page reflects the latest published state.
Is CVE-2026-81963 actively exploited?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2026-81963 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on September 8, 2026, affecting Microsoft Windows. KEV listing indicates confirmed exploitation in the wild; this CVE warrants immediate patching attention.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-81963?
CVE-2026-81963 has a CVSS v4.0 base score of 7.8 (CNA self-assessment; NVD's own analysis pending). EchelonGraph synthesises NVD + CISA KEV + FIRST EPSS + GHSA into a combined EG score of 9.0.
Which products are affected by CVE-2026-81963?
CVE-2026-81963 affects Microsoft Windows. The full affected-products list, including version ranges and fixed versions, is shown in the Affected Packages section of this page.
How do I remediate CVE-2026-81963?
Patch to the fixed version published by the affected vendor. Where vendor advisories exist for CVE-2026-81963, EchelonGraph cross-links them in the Vendor Advisories panel below — those typically contain the canonical remediation steps, fixed version numbers, and any vendor-specific mitigations.

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