Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessReach network-exposed AD FS endpoint
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DeliverySend crafted oversized request
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ExploitOverflow fixed-size stack buffer
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ExecutionCrash AD FS process
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ImpactRepeat to deny federated authentication
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Stack buffer bounds checking
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Execution The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires network reachability to a running AD FS service endpoint (typically the federation/token-issuance or metadata endpoints, often exposed externally via the Web Application Proxy); the CVSS vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N indicates no authentication, no user interaction and low complexity against a reachable AD FS instance. The principal limiting factor is deployment exposure: only hosts with the AD FS role installed and network-accessible are at risk, so internal-only or firewall-restricted AD FS deployments materially reduce the attack surface, and organizations not using AD FS are unaffected. Impact is confined to availability (service crash/DoS) - there is no path to code execution, data disclosure or privilege gain from this flaw. |
| Impact | The CVSS 3.1 base score is 7.5 (High) driven entirely by availability impact: AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N means the attacker needs only network reach to an AD FS endpoint, with no authentication, no user interaction and low complexity - a realistically triggerable remote DoS. However, the impact ceiling is bounded: C:N/I:N/A:H confirms no confidentiality or integrity loss, so successful exploitation degrades availability (federated logon outage) rather than compromising the host. No EPSS score, SSVC decision, or KEV entry was provided, and no POC is referenced, so there is no evidence of active or automatable exploitation at this time. The practical priority is elevated for organizations whose AD FS is internet-facing and business-critical (an outage blocks SSO to Microsoft 365 and other relying parties), but lower where AD FS is internal-only or already fronted by network controls. Note the missing EPSS/SSVC/POC signals: risk here is inferred from the CVSS vector and product exposure, not from confirmed exploitation telemetry. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker with network access to an internet-facing AD FS endpoint sends a crafted request whose oversized field overflows a fixed-size stack buffer, crashing the AD FS process. Because no authentication or user interaction is required (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N), repeated requests can keep the service down, blocking single sign-on to Microsoft 365 and other relying parties. No public exploit is identified at time of analysis. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Jul 14, 2026
Denial of service in Microsoft Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) lets a remote, unauthenticated attacker crash the service by triggering a stack-based buffer overflow (CWE-121) over the network. The flaw affects AD FS as shipped across a broad range of Windows client and server builds (Windows 10/11 and Windows Server 2012 through 2025). Microsoft - the reporting party - has released a patch; there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and the CVE is not listed in CISA KEV.
RemediationAI
Apply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2026-54983 to all systems running the AD FS role; Microsoft has released a patch, so the primary action is to install the corresponding monthly cumulative/security update for each affected Windows Server or client build as listed in the vendor advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-54983 (exact fixed build numbers are per-platform in that Update Guide entry - no single fixed version applies across all products). Prioritize internet-facing AD FS servers and the Web Application Proxy tier. Until patching completes, reduce exposure by restricting network reach to AD FS endpoints - limit inbound access to the federation and metadata endpoints to known relying-party and partner IP ranges at the firewall/WAF, and ensure external AD FS access is mediated by the Web Application Proxy rather than exposing the AD FS server directly; the trade-off is that overly tight filtering can break legitimate partner or roaming-user federation, so validate relying-party source ranges before enforcing. Monitor AD FS service health and event logs for unexpected process crashes/restarts as a detection for exploitation attempts.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 31 packages in microsoft, euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
AD FS is Microsoft's on-premises federated identity and single sign-on service that issues security tokens (SAML/WS-Federation/OAuth) to enable cross-organization and cloud authentication, typically exposed to the internet or partner networks to service federation endpoints. The root cause is CWE-121, a stack-based buffer overflow: attacker-influenced input is copied into a fixed-size stack buffer without adequate bounds checking, corrupting the stack and, in this case, terminating the AD FS process. The CPE set covers AD FS components delivered with Windows 10 (1607, 1809, 21H2, 22H2), Windows 11 (24H2, 25H2, 26H1), and Windows Server 2012, 2012 R2, 2016, 2019, 2022 and 2025 (including Server Core installations), indicating the vulnerable code is part of the shared AD FS/Windows codebase rather than a single edition. Per the CVSS vector the impact is limited to availability (C:N/I:N/A:H) with an unchanged scope (S:U), consistent with a crash rather than code execution or data disclosure.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Remote unauthenticated crash of a network-exposed AD FS service with no user interaction (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N); impact is availability-only, so C:N/I:N/A:H.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
DescriptionCVE.org
Stack-based buffer overflow in Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) allows an unauthorized attacker to deny service over a network.
Executive ViewAI
Microsoft Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) contains a remote denial-of-service vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to crash the service and disrupt enterprise authentication. Organizations deploying AD FS on Windows 10, 11, or Server editions 2012 through 2025 face immediate risk to user access and business continuity, as successful exploitation prevents authenticated users from accessing federated resources.
Apply vendor patch.
Threat Intelligence Overview
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.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
A buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a memory buffer than it was allocated to hold, causing the excess data to spill into adjacent memory regions.
A stack-based buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a buffer located on the stack than it was allocated to hold.
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