CVE-2026-81963

CRITICALPre-NVD 7.89.0
EchelonGraph scoreHIGH confidence

“▲” beside the score: it is higher than the CVSS score beside it.

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). The 9.0 is the floor for confirmed exploitation, not an impact rating: this CVE's impact severity (EG Severity) is CVSS 7.8 HIGH under GitHub Security Advisory CVSS. Confidence: HIGH.

Triggered by: CISA KEV (actively exploited)
Sources: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, the CNA's CVSS, EPSS, GitHub Security Advisory
Trending — 4 sources updated this weekExploited in the wild

Also known asEUVD-2026-73889 (ENISA EUVD) · GHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj (GitHub Security Advisories)Source: ENISA EUVD

9.0EG
EchelonGraph verdictPatch nowTreat as an emergency — this is being exploited.
  • Actively exploited in the wild (CISA-KEV) — the reason this is sooner than the SSVC decision on this page at low or medium mission impact
CISA-KEV: ExploitedEPSS PROB: 0.4%CVSS: 7.8Exploit: No code on recordExposed services: Not assessed

A fix is available — apply it.

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
9.0CRITICALhigh confidence
EG Risk
75
EG Risk 75/100

EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score. It fuses impact severity (EG Severity, the CVSS base score, never the KEV-floored or EPSS-lifted EG Score) with real-world exploitation and automatability, under weights EchelonGraph set by hand, so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner.

How it’s computed (value × EchelonGraph’s weight)
Severity78% × 45%
Impact severity (EG Severity): CVSS 7.8 of 10. Never the KEV-floored or EPSS-lifted EG Score.
Exploitation100% × 40%
Fixed at 100% for a CISA KEV listing: EchelonGraph's rule.
Automatability0% × 15%
CISA's SSVC Automatable value: no (Vulnrichment).
SSVC (CISA's decision table, applied by EchelonGraph): Track at low, Attend at medium and Act at high mission impact.
Exploitation active (CISA Vulnrichment) · Automatable no (CISA Vulnrichment) · Technical impact total (CISA Vulnrichment). All three are CISA's SSVC values (Vulnrichment). EchelonGraph applied CISA's decision table to them; CISA publishes SSVC inputs and the table, not a decision for each CVE.
Action: A fix is available. Apply it within your standard update timelines at low, sooner than that at medium and as soon as possible at high mission impact.
EPSS PROB
0.4%
EPSS %ILE
33rd
KEV
⚠ Exploited

What the EG score is made of (scorer v4.0: the three questions the 0–10 score mixes, published apart · methodology)

The EG score (9.0): severity, escalated by confirmed exploitation. This CVE's 9.0 is the CISA KEV floor for confirmed exploitation, not an impact rating: its impact severity (EG Severity) is CVSS 7.8 HIGH.

EG Severity
7.8 HIGHCVSS-B, impact only: no KEV listing, EPSS or EG-KEV tier raises it.GitHub Security Advisory CVSS
EG Likelihood
0.4% within 30 daysSource: FIRST EPSS (model v2026.06.15, score date 2026-10-31). FIRST's exploitation probability, not an EchelonGraph model.
Confirmed exploitation
CISA KEV and EG-KEV Tier 1 (exploited in the wild)Reported apart from the likelihood: an observed fact, not a probability.
EG Priority
SSVC Attend at medium mission impactTrack at low, Attend at medium and Act at high mission impact.CISA BOD 26-04: 3 days & forensic triage if the affected system is publicly exposed; 14 days if it is not.Each input and its source, and whom BOD 26-04 binds: the SSVC and BOD 26-04 blocks below.

SSVC (CISA's decision table, applied by EchelonGraph)Track at low, Attend at medium and Act at high mission impact.

A fix is available. Apply it within your standard update timelines at low, sooner than that at medium and as soon as possible at high mission impact.

Exploitation active (CISA Vulnrichment) · Automatable no (CISA Vulnrichment) · Technical impact total (CISA Vulnrichment). All three are CISA's SSVC values (Vulnrichment). EchelonGraph applied CISA's decision table to them; CISA publishes SSVC inputs and the table, not a decision for each CVE. Mission impact is CISA's Mission & Well-being decision point, and only you can judge it. CISA's table makes it high when Mission Prevalence is Essential — the vulnerable component "directly provides capabilities that constitute at least one MEF for at least one entity" (MEF: mission essential function) — or when Public Well-Being Impact is Irreversible: "multiple fatalities are likely", the cyber-physical system "is likely lost or destroyed", "extreme or serious externalities" are imposed on other parties, or social systems such as elections or the financial grid "are destabilized and potentially collapse". CISA's decision table

BOD 26-04 (CISA's remediation timeline, Table 1)3 days & forensic triage if the affected system is publicly exposed; 14 days if it is not.

The score's inputs: In CISA KEV yes (CISA's KEV catalog) · Automatable no (CISA Vulnrichment) · Technical impact total (CISA Vulnrichment). Whether your system is publicly exposed is yours to answer. BOD 26-04 binds US Federal Civilian Executive Branch agencies; for anyone else it is CISA's published timeline, a reference rather than an obligation. The directive · how EchelonGraph applies it

CISA required action“Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.”

Quoted verbatim from CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. CISA directs it at US federal civilian executive branch agencies under Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 26-04, which replaced BOD 22-01 on 10 June 2026; it is not EchelonGraph's advice. CISA's notes: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2026-81963 · https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/bod-26-04-prioritizing-security-updates-based-risk · https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/bod-26-04-implementation-guidance-prioritizing-security-updates-based-risk · https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-81963

Published

September 8, 2026

Last Modified

October 31, 2026

Advisory Details (2)

Auto-updated Oct 31, 2026
⚠️ Actively exploited (CISA KEV, CISA Vulnrichment). Patch available. Sources: microsoft, cisa.
CISA🔴 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

Security Update Guide - Microsoft Security Response Center

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 27× in last 7d / 224× in last 30d)

Each row is a time one of our pipelines fetched, updated or re-scored this CVE. 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. An arrow marks a change the record states ("CVSS v3 → 9.1"); EPSS and GHSA rows show the values recorded at that time, not what changed (EPSS values are rounded; hover one for the exact figures). Most recent first.

Showing the most recent 100 of 636 refreshes on record for this CVE.

A repeat, a row identical to one the same pipeline wrote less than 10 seconds earlier, is not a separate refresh and is not counted. None are among the latest 100 rows. The 536 oldest rows on record are not shown and were not checked, so the counts can still include repeats.

  1. 2026-11-01 16:35 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.4% · 33rd percentile
  2. 2026-11-01 14:09 UTCEG score recompute
  3. 2026-11-01 14:09 UTCVendor advisory
  4. 2026-11-01 14:09 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  5. 2026-10-31 16:33 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.4% · 33rd percentile
  6. 2026-10-31 16:24 UTCVendor advisory
  7. 2026-10-31 16:24 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  8. 2026-10-30 22:05 UTCEG score recompute
  9. 2026-10-30 22:05 UTCVendor advisory
  10. 2026-10-30 22:05 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  11. 2026-10-30 16:35 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.4% · 33rd percentile
  12. 2026-10-30 09:12 UTCEG score recompute
  13. 2026-10-30 09:12 UTCVendor advisory
  14. 2026-10-30 09:12 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  15. 2026-10-29 16:34 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.4% · 33rd percentile
  16. 2026-10-29 11:28 UTCEG score recompute
  17. 2026-10-29 11:28 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  18. 2026-10-28 16:33 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.4% · 33rd percentile
  19. 2026-10-28 13:44 UTCEG score recompute
  20. 2026-10-28 13:44 UTCVendor advisory
  21. 2026-10-28 13:44 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  22. 2026-10-27 16:32 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.4% · 33rd percentile
  23. 2026-10-27 15:59 UTCVendor advisory
  24. 2026-10-27 15:59 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  25. 2026-10-26 18:15 UTCEG score recompute
Show 75 more
  1. 2026-10-26 18:15 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  2. 2026-10-26 16:32 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.4% · 33rd percentile
  3. 2026-10-25 20:30 UTCEG score recompute
  4. 2026-10-25 20:30 UTCVendor advisory
  5. 2026-10-25 20:30 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  6. 2026-10-25 16:34 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.4% · 33rd percentile
  7. 2026-10-25 13:58 UTCEG score recompute
  8. 2026-10-24 22:46 UTCEG score recompute
  9. 2026-10-24 22:46 UTCVendor advisory
  10. 2026-10-24 22:46 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  11. 2026-10-24 16:33 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.4% · 32nd percentile
  12. 2026-10-24 01:02 UTCEG score recompute
  13. 2026-10-24 01:02 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  14. 2026-10-23 16:32 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.4% · 32nd percentile
  15. 2026-10-23 03:18 UTCEG score recompute
  16. 2026-10-23 03:18 UTCVendor advisory
  17. 2026-10-23 03:17 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  18. 2026-10-22 16:35 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.4% · 32nd percentile
  19. 2026-10-22 05:33 UTCEG score recompute
  20. 2026-10-22 05:33 UTCVendor advisory
  21. 2026-10-22 05:32 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  22. 2026-10-21 16:34 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.4% · 32nd percentile
  23. 2026-10-21 07:45 UTCEG score recompute
  24. 2026-10-21 07:45 UTCVendor advisory
  25. 2026-10-21 07:45 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  26. 2026-10-20 16:33 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.4% · 32nd percentile
  27. 2026-10-20 10:02 UTCEG score recompute
  28. 2026-10-20 10:02 UTCVendor advisory
  29. 2026-10-20 10:01 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  30. 2026-10-19 16:33 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.4% · 32nd percentile
  31. 2026-10-19 12:17 UTCEG score recompute
  32. 2026-10-19 12:17 UTCVendor advisory
  33. 2026-10-19 12:17 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  34. 2026-10-18 16:33 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.4% · 31st percentile
  35. 2026-10-18 14:32 UTCVendor advisory
  36. 2026-10-18 14:31 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  37. 2026-10-18 03:08 UTCEG score recompute
  38. 2026-10-17 16:47 UTCEG score recompute
  39. 2026-10-17 16:46 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  40. 2026-10-17 16:35 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.4% · 31st percentile
  41. 2026-10-16 19:02 UTCEG score recompute
  42. 2026-10-16 19:01 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  43. 2026-10-16 16:44 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.4% · 31st percentile
  44. 2026-10-15 21:16 UTCEG score recompute
  45. 2026-10-15 21:15 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  46. 2026-10-15 16:33 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.4% · 31st percentile
  47. 2026-10-14 23:29 UTCEG score recompute
  48. 2026-10-14 23:29 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  49. 2026-10-14 16:33 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.4% · 31st percentile
  50. 2026-10-14 01:45 UTCEG score recompute
  51. 2026-10-14 01:45 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  52. 2026-10-13 16:35 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.4% · 31st percentile
  53. 2026-10-13 04:00 UTCEG score recompute
  54. 2026-10-13 04:00 UTCVendor advisory
  55. 2026-10-13 03:59 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  56. 2026-10-12 16:35 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.4% · 31st percentile
  57. 2026-10-12 14:56 UTCEG score recompute
  58. 2026-10-12 06:16 UTCVendor advisory
  59. 2026-10-12 06:15 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  60. 2026-10-12 02:37 UTCVendor advisory
  61. 2026-10-12 02:37 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  62. 2026-10-11 22:58 UTCVendor advisory
  63. 2026-10-11 22:58 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  64. 2026-10-11 19:20 UTCEG score recompute
  65. 2026-10-11 19:20 UTCVendor advisory
  66. 2026-10-11 19:19 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  67. 2026-10-11 16:36 UTCEG score recompute
  68. 2026-10-11 15:42 UTCVendor advisory
  69. 2026-10-11 15:42 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  70. 2026-10-11 13:54 UTCEG score recompute
  71. 2026-10-11 13:49 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.4% · 31st percentile
  72. 2026-10-11 12:05 UTCEG score recompute
  73. 2026-10-11 12:05 UTCVendor advisory
  74. 2026-10-11 12:05 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  75. 2026-10-11 08:27 UTCVendor advisory

Frequently asked(6)

What is CVE-2026-81963?
CVE-2026-81963 is a critical-severity vulnerability; its CVE record was 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 made public?
CVE-2026-81963 was made public on September 8, 2026: that is the date its CVE record's CNA, Microsoft Corporation, gives for when the vulnerability was made public. The CVE record itself was published on September 8, 2026. EchelonGraph's copy of the record carries a last-modified date of October 31, 2026; the record at its source may have been updated since.
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 attention. A fix is available. Apply it.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-81963?
CVE-2026-81963 has a CVSS base score of 7.8 (the CNA's own assessment, by microsoft; NVD's own analysis pending). EchelonGraph synthesises the CNA's CVSS + CISA KEV + FIRST EPSS + GHSA into a combined EG score of 9.0 (CRITICAL).
Which products are affected by CVE-2026-81963?
CVE-2026-81963 affects Microsoft Windows.
How do I remediate CVE-2026-81963?
A fix for CVE-2026-81963 is available: update to the fixed version the vendor names in its advisory. The vendor advisories EchelonGraph has for CVE-2026-81963 are linked in the Vendor Advisories panel on this page.

Dependency Blast Radius

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