CVE-2026-20965 Windows Admin Center Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
An authorized attacker can elevate privileges locally in Windows Admin Center due to improper cryptographic signature verification.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- An administrator
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2026-20965?
CVE-2026-20965 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Admin Center in Azure Portal, published on 13 Jan 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
Improper verification of cryptographic signature in Windows Admin Center allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Weakness: CWE-347
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-20965?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Microsoft Windows Admin Center.
How do I fix CVE-2026-20965?
No fix has been published for CVE-2026-20965 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Is CVE-2026-20965 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-20965 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows Admin Center in Azure Portal
- CVE-2026-62873 Microsoft 365 Admin Center Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
- CVE-2019-0813 Privilege escalation in Windows Admin Center
- CVE-2026-56196 Windows Admin Center (WAC) Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
- CVE-2026-56197 Windows Admin Center (WAC) Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
- CVE-2026-41086 Windows Admin Center in Azure Portal Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
Sources
Also known as GHSA-r498-r54r-pxqh.