Skip to main content

Microsoft Exchange Server EUVDEUVD-2026-100145

| CVE-2026-87696 HIGH
Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature (CWE-347)
2026-10-13 secure@microsoft.com GHSA-q352-99mq-9jqq
7.5
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: microsoft
View

Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Authenticate with low-privilege Exchange account
  2. Delivery
    Craft token with forged cryptographic signature
  3. Exploit
    Bypass improper signature verification (JWT)
  4. Execution
    Obtain elevated privileges network-wide
  5. Impact
    Access or alter mailbox/server data

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A04:2025 - Cryptographic Failures
ASVS 5.0
V11 - Cryptography Signature verification
Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires an already-authenticated low-privilege identity on the Exchange Server (PR:L) and the ability to present a token whose signature defeats the server's flawed cryptographic verification - i.e., forging or tampering with a JWT/security token that Exchange improperly validates (CWE-347). It is not remote-unauthenticated: a valid foothold account is mandatory. The High attack complexity (AC:H) further limits exploitation, requiring conditions outside the attacker's control (such as specific token, key, or signature-state circumstances) rather than a reliable one-shot request. No user interaction is needed (UI:N). Affected builds are Exchange 2016 CU23 (<15.01.2507.077), Exchange 2019 CU14 (<15.02.1544.050) and CU15 (<15.02.1748.055), and Exchange Subscription Edition RTM (<15.02.2562.056); patched builds are not exploitable.

Impact

This is an authenticated network elevation-of-privilege flaw (CWE-347, improper cryptographic signature verification) in Microsoft Exchange Server carrying a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 (AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H). The signals are internally consistent and point to a serious-but-not-emergency issue: the CVSS vector shows network reachability with full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact, but exploitation requires low-level privileges (PR:L) and has high attack complexity (AC:H), meaning conditions outside the attacker's control (e.g., timing, specific token state, or crafting a valid-looking signature) must be met. CISA SSVC reinforces this: Exploitation is rated 'none' (no observed activity), Automatable is 'no' (not mass-scannable/wormable), while Technical Impact is 'total' - so the damage ceiling is high but opportunistic mass exploitation is unlikely. There is no CISA KEV listing and no public exploit identified at time of analysis; EPSS was not provided in the input. Net: a real priority for internet-facing Exchange where any low-privilege foothold exists (the 'total' technical impact and network vector justify prompt patching), but the AC:H, PR:L, SSVC 'automatable:no' and absence of known exploitation argue against treating it as a drop-everything zero-day. Note a minor tagging tension: the 'Information Disclosure' tag conflicts with the description, which characterizes this as privilege elevation - verify the impact framing with the vendor advisory.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker who already holds a low-privilege authenticated identity on an Exchange deployment forges or manipulates a token so that its cryptographic signature passes Exchange's flawed verification (consistent with the 'Jwt Attack' tag), causing the server to accept an attacker-controlled claim and grant elevated privileges over the network. Because attack complexity is High (AC:H), success depends on satisfying conditions the attacker does not fully control, such as token/key state or timing. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.4% exploitation probability (EPSS)

Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.

Alert me

AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 13, 2026

Privilege elevation in Microsoft Exchange Server lets an authenticated low-privilege attacker forge or tamper with a signed security token that the server improperly validates, achieving full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability on the affected build (CVSS 3.1 base 7.5, CWE-347). The flaw affects Exchange Server 2016 CU23 (below 15.01.2507.077), Exchange Server 2019 CU14 (below 15.02.1544.050) and CU15 (below 15.02.1748.055), and Exchange Server Subscription Edition RTM (below 15.02.2562.056); fully patched builds are not exploitable. Exploitation requires a pre-existing low-privilege identity on the server plus conditions outside the attacker's control (AC:H), CISA's SSVC rates exploitation as none and automatable as no, and no public exploit identified at time of analysis.

RemediationAI

Apply the vendor-provided cumulative updates that raise each affected build above the fixed threshold: Exchange Server 2016 CU23 to 15.01.2507.077 or later, Exchange Server 2019 CU14 to 15.02.1544.050 or later, Exchange Server 2019 CU15 to 15.02.1748.055 or later, and Exchange Server Subscription Edition RTM to 15.02.2562.056 or later, using the guidance and download links in the MSRC advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-87696. Because exploitation hinges on an attacker already holding a low-privilege identity, the highest-leverage compensating control is shrinking that foothold: audit and remove dormant or over-permissioned mailbox, application, and service accounts, disable legacy authentication and any unnecessary OAuth/EWS integration, and restrict which principals can mint or replay tokens. Restricting external reachability of the Exchange Client Access endpoints - blocking inbound 443 to /EWS, /Autodiscover, /OAB, /mapi, and /PowerShell from untrusted networks - removes the remote attack surface but breaks Outlook Anywhere, mobile mail, hybrid mail flow, and remote PowerShell management, so it should be scoped by IP allow-list rather than applied blanket. On-premises hybrid or MRS-Proxy trust relationships that rely on token exchange should be reviewed and re-keyed if a compromise is suspected, accepting brief hybrid replication disruption as the trade-off. There is no vendor workaround that fully suppresses the flawed signature-validation path; version upgrade remains the only complete fix, and until it is applied, alert on anomalous token validation, unexpected privilege changes in Exchange logs, and unusual access by previously low-privilege accounts.

Affected VersionsENISA

Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 23 15.01.0.0 <15.01.2507.077
Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 14 15.02.0.0 <15.02.1544.050
Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 15 15.02.0.0 <15.02.1748.055
Microsoft Exchange Server Subscription Edition RTM 15.02.0.0 <15.02.2562.056

Affected Packages

euvd microsoft_exchange_server_2016_cumulative_update_23 fix: 15.01.2507.077
euvd microsoft_exchange_server_2019_cumulative_update_14 fix: 15.02.1544.050
euvd microsoft_exchange_server_2019_cumulative_update_15 fix: 15.02.1748.055
euvd microsoft_exchange_server_subscription_edition_rtm fix: 15.02.2562.056

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 4 packages in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

The root cause is CWE-347, Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature, applied to the token-based authentication Exchange Server performs. Exchange uses signed tokens - JSON Web Tokens in OAuth-style flows for on-premises, hybrid, and service-to-service authentication - and the vulnerability lies in the component that checks the signature rather than the token contents themselves. Because the verification step is flawed, a token whose signature would not normally validate can be accepted, allowing the caller to assume the identity or privileges asserted inside that token. The assigned tags (Microsoft, Jwt Attack, Information Disclosure) and the CVSS vector AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H align with this reading: the attack is network-reachable, needs a valid low-privilege foothold account (PR:L, so it is authenticated, not unauthenticated), requires no user interaction, and yields uniform High impact across confidentiality, integrity, and availability once the forged or tampered token is accepted. The High attack complexity reflects the narrow token, key, or signature-state conditions required for a malformed token to slip through the flawed check, rather than a simple repeatable request. No CPE strings were supplied in the source set; affected builds are enumerated instead by the ENISA EUVD entry (EUVD-2026-100145) and Microsoft's build thresholds listed in the update guide. The complete absence of a published proof-of-concept, combined with the SSVC verdict of no exploitation and no automatable exploitation, means this is a serious but currently non-weaponized elevation-of-privilege primitive that matters most in environments where attackers already hold any mailbox or service account.

Know when Jwt Attack gets its next vulnerability

  • Watch products and get an email when something new is published
  • Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

No credit card · 7-day full trial

Severity by source

Vendor (microsoft) PRIMARY 7.5 HIGH
AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 7.5 HIGH

Network-reachable token forgery needing an authenticated foothold (PR:L) and hard-to-control signature conditions (AC:H), yielding total impact (C/I/A:H) on the same server (S:U).

3.1 AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).

CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
Oct 13, 2026 - 20:20 EUVD
CVE Published
Oct 13, 2026 - 19:21 cve.org
HIGH 7.5

DescriptionCVE.org

Improper verification of cryptographic signature in Microsoft Exchange Server allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Microsoft Exchange Server is affected by a high-severity privilege elevation flaw that could allow an attacker with an existing low-privilege account to gain full control of an affected server, putting email, calendar, and potentially sensitive business data at risk. A vendor patch is available, and no public exploit has been identified at time of analysis, but unpatched Exchange servers remain exposed if an attacker obtains the required low-privilege access and meets the attack conditions. Leadership should prioritize patching because Exchange is a business-critical system and compromise could disrupt communications and expose confidential information.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.4%
Top 70% exploitable
Prevalence
High
widely deployed enterprise mail server across corporate and government environments
Vendor Status
Publicly Disclosed:No
Exploited:No
Latest Software Release:Exploitation Less Likely
Data Quality
4 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.4%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

38
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +38
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.

CVE-2013-3900 MEDIUM
5.5 Dec 11

Why is Microsoft republishing a CVE from 2013? We are republishing CVE-2013-3900 in the Security Update Guide to update

CVE-2026-48558 CRITICAL POC
9.5 Jun 12

Authentication bypass in SimpleHelp 5.5.15 and prior (plus 6.0 pre-release builds) allows remote unauthenticated attacke

CVE-2026-5430 CRITICAL POC
10.0 Aug 06

Authentication bypass in WSO2 API Manager and related components (Universal Gateway, Traffic Manager, API Control Plane,

CVE-2025-59718 CRITICAL
9.8 Dec 09

Authentication bypass in Fortinet FortiOS, FortiProxy, and FortiSwitchManager allows unauthenticated remote attackers to

CVE-2025-25291 CRITICAL POC
9.3 Mar 12

ruby-saml provides security assertion markup language (SAML) single sign-on (SSO) for Ruby. Rated critical severity (CVS

CVE-2025-25292 CRITICAL POC
9.3 Mar 12

ruby-saml provides security assertion markup language (SAML) single sign-on (SSO) for Ruby. Rated critical severity (CVS

CVE-2022-25898 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Jul 01

The package jsrsasign before 10.5.25 are vulnerable to Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature when JWS or JWT

CVE-2026-107722 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Oct 08

Authentication and authorization bypass in fast-jwt 6.2.0 through 6.2.4 (npm, NearForm) lets a remote, unauthenticated a

CVE-2024-42004 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Dec 18

A library injection vulnerability exists in Microsoft Teams (work or school) 24046.2813.2770.1094 for macOS. Rated criti

CVE-2024-41145 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Dec 18

A library injection vulnerability exists in the WebView.app helper app of Microsoft Teams (work or school) 24046.2813.27

CVE-2024-41138 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Dec 18

A library injection vulnerability exists in the com.microsoft.teams2.modulehost.app helper app of Microsoft Teams (work

CVE-2024-45409 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Sep 10

The Ruby SAML library is for implementing the client side of a SAML authorization. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), t

This site uses cookies essential for authentication and security. No tracking or analytics cookies are used. Privacy Policy