Description
Integer overflow or wraparound in Microsoft Defender allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code locally.
Published: 2026-07-14
Score: 7.8 High
EPSS: < 1% Very Low
KEV: No
Impact: n/a
Action: n/a
AI Analysis

Impact

Integer overflow or wraparound in the Windows Defender Malware Protection Engine allows an attacker with local system access to run arbitrary code. The flaw originates from improper handling of unsigned integer values and buffer boundaries, corresponding to the weaknesses identified by CWE-122 and CWE-190. Successful exploitation would enable the attacker to execute code in the Defender process, potentially leading to broader system compromise.

Affected Systems

The vulnerability targets the Microsoft Malware Protection Engine component of Microsoft Defender. All installations that include this engine could be impacted; however, the CVE data does not specify affected product versions, so it is unclear which specific releases are vulnerable.

Risk and Exploitability

The CVSS score of 7.8 signals a high‑severity local code‑execution flaw, while the EPSS score indicates a low probability of exploitation in the wild. Based on the description, the likely attack vector is local, requiring an attacker to supply crafted input to the Defender engine; no remote exploitation has been reported.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on August 1, 2026 at 09:49 UTC.

Remediation

No vendor fix or workaround currently provided.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

  • Apply the security update released by Microsoft that fixes the integer overflow and wraparound flaw in the Defender engine, as documented at the Microsoft update guide.
  • Enable Defender Exploit Guard or activate memory‑corruption mitigations such as Memory Integrity in Windows Security settings.
  • Implement least‑privilege on local accounts and restrict local access to the Defender engine binaries and configuration files.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on August 1, 2026 at 09:49 UTC.

Tracking

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Advisories

No advisories yet.

History

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 12:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'total'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}


Tue, 14 Jul 2026 17:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description Integer overflow or wraparound in Microsoft Defender allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code locally.
Title Microsoft Defender Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
First Time appeared Microsoft
Microsoft malware Protection Engine
Weaknesses CWE-122
CWE-190
CPEs cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:malware_protection_engine:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Microsoft
Microsoft malware Protection Engine
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 7.8, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C'}


Subscriptions

Microsoft Malware Protection Engine
cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: microsoft

Published:

Updated: 2026-07-30T20:22:40.859Z

Reserved: 2026-06-16T14:12:44.283Z

Link: CVE-2026-55012

cve-icon Vulnrichment

Updated: 2026-07-15T10:44:49.459Z

cve-icon NVD

No data.

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-08-01T10:00:04Z

Weaknesses
  • CWE-122

    Heap-based Buffer Overflow

  • CWE-190

    Integer Overflow or Wraparound