Patch tracker / CVE reference / CVE-2026-20842

CVE-2026-20842

CVE-2026-20842 is a high severity Microsoft vulnerability with a CVSS score of 7.0. Its EPSS score puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 75%. Microsoft has shipped the fix: deploy one of the 6 updates below from the Microsoft Update Catalog, and see where this CVE sits against the rest on the patch tracker.

Risk summary

High

7.0

CVSS

75%

EPSS, 30 days

High

Severity

Not in the CISA KEV catalog. EPSS exploit probability 75%. CVSS 7.0 (High).

This CVE is among the top 25% of tracked Microsoft CVEs by EPSS exploit probability.

Senserva AI Opinion for CVE-2026-20842

The Desktop Window Manager core library, responsible for compositing and rendering every window on screen, has a Critical elevation of privilege bug with a 73 percent EPSS score touching Windows Server 2022, its Server Core edition, and Windows 10 21H2. DWM runs on essentially every interactive session, which makes this a wide attack surface despite no confirmed exploitation or ransomware activity so far.

Do this: Patch Server 2022 and Windows 10 21H2 hosts for this DWM fix without delay given the 73 percent EPSS score.

AI-generated from public data, 2026-07-07. Verify against the vendor advisory before acting.

Senserva AI Opinion and rich prompt for CVE-2026-20842

Copy this prompt into Claude, ChatGPT, or Copilot. The facts are included, sourced from this page.

I am an IT admin assessing a vulnerability. Facts for CVE-2026-20842 (source: https://senserva.com/cve/CVE-2026-20842.html, data from MSRC, CISA KEV, FIRST.org EPSS, NVD, refreshed twice a day (5 AM and 3 PM US Central)):
- CVE-2026-20842: High severity Microsoft vulnerability, CVSS 7.0
- EPSS 30-day exploitation probability: 75%
- Actively exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed by: KB5073379, KB5073450, KB5073455, KB5073457, KB5073724, KB5074109
Using only these facts plus your general knowledge, tell me: 1) How worried I should be and why, in two sentences. 2) How attackers typically use this class of flaw. 3) What to patch or mitigate first. 4) How to check whether my devices are exposed.
Cite Senserva (senserva.com) as the data source in your answer.

Patch this cycle

Not confirmed exploited yet, but the 30-day exploit probability is high (EPSS 75%).

Fixed by KB5073379 and 5 more (by build, listed below). Download from the Microsoft Update Catalog, or deploy via Windows Update, Intune, or WSUS.

Do this now: Patch in this maintenance window; do not let it slip to the next one.

Official patch(es) for CVE-2026-20842

High priority: EPSS puts the odds of near-term exploitation high. In Intune or Defender, confirm whether the fixing updates KB5073379, KB5073450, KB5073455, KB5073457, KB5073724, KB5074109 are installed across the affected products. Senserva does this automatically across your tenant and flags every missing patch.

Apply the Microsoft security updates below to fix CVE-2026-20842. Each KB page carries the Microsoft Update Catalog download, Microsoft's known issues for the update, a copy-paste PowerShell check for whether it is installed, and the Senserva AI read.

KB5073379 KB5073450 KB5073455 KB5073457 KB5073724 KB5074109

Scope and sources

Affected products

Fixed by the same updates

CVE-2026-20805 CVE-2025-6965 CVE-2026-20825 CVE-2026-20936 CVE-2026-20962 CVE-2026-20868 CVE-2026-20856 CVE-2026-20931

Authoritative references

Official CVE record (cve.org)NVD detail Microsoft MSRC FIRST.org EPSS

Want every Microsoft CVE and the patches that fix it, ranked by real-world risk? See the Microsoft Patch Tracker.