About Elevation of Privilege - Microsoft Defender "RedSun" (CVE-2026-41091) vulnerability. Microsoft Defender is a built-in security solution developed by Microsoft to protect the Windows operating system and user data from viruses, malware, and other cyber threats in real time. An improper link resolution vulnerability prior to file access ("link following", CWE-59) in Microsoft Defender, specifically within the Malware Protection Engine component, allows an authenticated local attacker to escalate privileges to SYSTEM level. As a result, an attacker could gain full control over the affected system, including unrestricted access to data, the ability to modify system settings, install software, manage user accounts, and disable security protections.
🛠 An exploit for the vulnerability was published on GitHub by security researcher Nightmare Eclipse on April 15, alongside exploits targeting other Windows component vulnerabilities. The account was later removed by GitHub administrators; however, this did not prevent the exploit code from spreading further.
⚙️ The security advisory and patches were released on May 19 outside Microsoft's regular Patch Tuesday schedule. Versions of Microsoft Malware Protection Engine from 1.1.26030.3008 through 1.1.26040.8 are affected. Systems with Microsoft Defender disabled are not vulnerable. By default, Microsoft Defender automatically updates Windows security components, antivirus definitions, and Microsoft Malware Protection Engine, so no additional user action is typically required. Malware Protection Engine is updated monthly or as new threats emerge, while antivirus definitions are updated several times per day. Update checks may run automatically anywhere from once to several times daily when an Internet connection is available. Manual update checks are also supported.
👾 According to Microsoft, the vulnerability is being exploited in the wild. The vulnerability was added to the CISA KEV catalog on May 20.
💡 Special attention should be paid to server and desktop Windows hosts where Microsoft Defender is not disabled, but Internet access is unavailable for regular updates.
