What is CVE-2026-20965?

CVE-2026-20965 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Admin Center, classified under Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature. CVSS score: 7.5/10. Published 2026-01-13.

How severe is CVE-2026-20965?

High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.5 out of 10.

Vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Admin Center

CVE-2026-20965

Improper verification of cryptographic signature in Windows Admin Center allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

Published 2026-01-13 · last modified 2026-06-17.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.5 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.002 (14.0th percentile), scored 2026-11-04.

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 14th percentile — 14.0% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.002 · newest: 0.002 · change: +0.000

Affected products

Microsoft Windows Admin Center
Microsoft Windows Admin Center In Azure Portal — versions 1.0

Weakness classification (CWE)

CWE-347 — Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature

References

Windows Admin Center Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability (vendor-advisory, patch, Vendor Advisory)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-20965?: CVE-2026-20965 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Admin Center, classified under Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature. CVSS score: 7.5/10. Published 2026-01-13.
How severe is CVE-2026-20965?: High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.5 out of 10.