Advisories
Microsoft Patch Tuesday 2026: 972 CVEs, 113 Critical, 2 Exploited Zero‑Days
Microsoft released security updates for 972 CVEs in September 2026, including 113 critical issues and two zero‑days that were actively exploited. Defenders must prioritize patching affected systems, validate deployment, and monitor for exploitation indicators.
What Happened
On September 2026, Microsoft issued a Patch Tuesday update that addressed 972 known vulnerabilities across its product portfolio. The release includes 113 critical‑severity CVEs and two zero‑day flaws that have already been leveraged in the wild.
Impact
Systems running affected Microsoft software—Windows, Office, Azure services, and other components—are at risk of exploitation. Attackers can gain remote code execution, elevate privileges, or exfiltrate data depending on the specific CVE.
What to Do
- Verify which of the 972 CVEs apply to your environment using the Microsoft Security Update Guide.
- Apply the corresponding patches as soon as possible; prioritize the 113 critical and the two zero‑days.
- Validate patch deployment with automated tools or manual checks.
- Enable and monitor the Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) or equivalent to detect exploitation attempts.
- Review recent attack patterns for the zero‑day CVEs and adjust detection rules accordingly.
Additional Mitigations
Until patches are applied, consider the following mitigations where available: disable legacy protocols, enforce least‑privilege, and apply application whitelisting.
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