HIGH
CVE-2026-21533
CVSS
7.8
KEV
Description
Improper privilege management in Windows Remote Desktop allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Summary dbcve.org
A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in Windows Remote Desktop due to improper privilege management. An authorized local attacker with standard user access can exploit this to gain elevated (administrative) privileges on the affected Windows system.
Mitigation
Apply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2026-21533 to all affected Windows systems. Prioritize workstations and servers with Remote Desktop services enabled.
Weakness (CWE)
CWE-269
Improper Privilege Management
EPSS Score
3.91%
Probability of exploitation in next 30 days
89.8th percentile
References
https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-21533
Vendor Advisory
https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2026-21533-detection-script-privilege-escalation-vulnerability-in-windows-remote-desktop
Third Party Advisory
https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2026-21533-mitigation-script-privilege-escalation-vulnerability-in-windows-remote-desktop
Mitigation, Third Party Advisory
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-21533
US Government Resource
Base CVE data derived from NVD (public domain). Enrichment by
dbcve.org
(CC-BY-4.0). Fetched via API.