Hazard

Is CVE-2026-45498 being exploited?

Weaponised and widely attempted

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

Microsoft Defender Denial of Service Vulnerability

Microsoft · Defender

CVSS 4 EPSS 63% no public exploit indexed Fix deadline passed 3 June 2026

What it is

Microsoft Defender contains an unspecified vulnerability that allows for denial of service.

Why we say that

  • EPSS puts exploitation in the next 30 days at 63%
  • CISA's federal remediation deadline (2026-06-03) 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 mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

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 →