Hazard

Is CVE-2022-26923 being exploited?

Weaponised and widely attempted

Reliable public exploit code exists, or mass exploitation attempts are probable. Patch inside days, not weeks.

Microsoft Active Directory Domain Services Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Microsoft · Active Directory

CVSS 8.8 EPSS 83% no public exploit indexed Fix deadline passed 8 September 2022

What it is

An authenticated user could manipulate attributes on computer accounts they own or manage, and acquire a certificate from Active Directory Certificate Services that would allow for privilege escalation to SYSTEM.

Why we say that

  • EPSS puts exploitation in the next 30 days at 83%
  • CISA's federal remediation deadline (2022-09-08) has passed
  • Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue

Every line above comes from a named public source. Where the evidence is thin, we say so rather than inventing confidence — see methodology.

What to do

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

What it costs when this goes wrong

This is where UK enforcement meets the vulnerability record. Where an unfixed vulnerability leads to a breach, the ICO treats it as a security failure under UK GDPR. Recent cases:

All UK cases caused by unpatched software →