Patch tracker / CVE reference / CVE-2026-41096

CVE-2026-41096

CVE-2026-41096 is a Microsoft vulnerability that Microsoft rates Critical, with a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). Microsoft has shipped the fix: deploy one of the 8 updates below from the Microsoft Update Catalog, and see where this CVE sits against the rest on the patch tracker.

Our data comes from Microsoft, CISA and other public sources, and it can be wrong or out of date. If you are unsure, check the linked source before you act, and tell us when we are wrong so we can fix it.

Microsoft rates it Critical. CVSS 9.8 (Critical). Fixed by 8 Microsoft security updates.

Senserva AI read on CVE-2026-41096Official patches for CVE-2026-41096Change historyAdmin questions

Risk summary

Critical
9.8
CVSS v3
2.7%
EPSS, 30 days
Critical
Severity

Not in the CISA KEV catalog. EPSS exploit probability 2.7%. CVSS 9.8 (Critical).

This CVE is among the top 5% of tracked Microsoft CVEs by EPSS exploit probability.

Senserva AI Opinion for CVE-2026-41096

CVE-2026-41096 is a Critical remote code execution flaw (CVSS 9.8) in the Windows DNS Client, meaning a malicious DNS response could execute code on systems that make name lookups. Exposed systems include Windows Server 2025 Server Core and Windows 11 25H2 on both ARM64 and x64. It is not in CISA KEV and not tied to ransomware yet, but the 80 percent EPSS score signals exploitation is likely soon, and the DNS Client runs on essentially every affected host.

Do this: Deploy Microsoft's patch for CVE-2026-41096 to all Windows Server 2025 Server Core and Windows 11 25H2 (ARM64 and x64) systems, prioritizing internet-facing and DNS-dependent servers first.

AI-generated from public data, 2026-07-26. Verify against the vendor advisory before acting.

Schedule normally
No exploitation observed as of 2026-11-04: not in the CISA KEV catalog, EPSS 3%.
Fixed by KB5087420 and 7 more (by build, listed below). Download from the Microsoft Update Catalog, or deploy via Windows Update, Intune, or WSUS.
Do this now: Deploy with your normal update cycle. This page refreshes daily; the verdict changes the day the data does.
Senserva AI Opinion and rich prompt for CVE-2026-41096

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

Official patch(es) for CVE-2026-41096

Elevated priority: high severity or a meaningful exploitation probability, sooner if an affected product is internet-facing. In Intune or Defender, confirm whether the fixing updates KB5087420, KB5087423, KB5087539, KB5087541, KB5089466, KB5089548, KB5089549, KB5093998 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-2026-41096. 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.

KB5087420KB5087423KB5087539KB5087541KB5089466KB5089548KB5089549KB5093998

Scope and sources

Affected products
Fixed by the same updates
CVE-2026-41089CVE-2026-44815CVE-2026-45657CVE-2026-47291CVE-2026-42904CVE-2025-10263CVE-2026-40402CVE-2026-45602
Authoritative references
Official CVE record (cve.org)NVD detailMicrosoft MSRCFIRST.org EPSS

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

New to a term on this page? CVE, KB, KEV, CVSS, and EPSS are each explained once, on the Senserva security lexicon. Reference: Microsoft CVE and vulnerability management and the Microsoft patching guide.
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