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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Obtain low-priv account on Exchange host
  2. Delivery
    Access coarse-grained authorization boundary
  3. Exploit
    Invoke higher-privileged operation
  4. Execution
    Elevate to elevated/system privileges
  5. Impact
    Full compromise of mail server

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Insufficient granularity of access control
Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires local access to the Exchange server host with an existing low-privilege authenticated context (CVSS PR:L, AV:L) and no user interaction (UI:N). The concrete prerequisite is that the attacker must already be able to run in an authorized-but-lower-privileged context on an affected on-premises build (Exchange 2016 CU23, 2019 CU14/CU15, or Subscription Edition RTM); the insufficiently granular access control then lets that context reach higher-privileged operations. Limiting factors: it cannot be triggered remotely without first establishing that local foothold, it does not apply to Exchange Online, and it is bounded to the enumerated Cumulative Update levels. The exact product feature or role boundary that is under-segmented is not specified in the available description and should be confirmed against the MSRC advisory.

Impact

The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, base 7.8) describes a locally exploitable, low-complexity escalation that requires the attacker to already hold some authenticated foothold (PR:L) but no user interaction, delivering full high impact on the host. Because the attack vector is Local, this is not a remote-unauthenticated worm scenario - it is a second-stage escalation useful after an attacker has already gained a low-privilege account or code execution on the Exchange server. No EPSS score, KEV listing, or POC was provided in the input, so real-world exploitation probability cannot be quantified from the data; the absence of KEV suggests no confirmed active exploitation at this time. Given Exchange's high value as a target and Microsoft's own reporting, this warrants prompt patching, though it ranks below any concurrent remote-unauthenticated Exchange flaw. Note: EPSS and POC status are absent from the input and cannot be inferred.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker who has already obtained a low-privileged authenticated account or limited code execution on an Exchange server - for example via a compromised service account or a prior foothold - abuses the coarse access-control check to perform an operation reserved for a higher privilege level, escalating to full control of the mail server. Given AC:L this requires no special timing or race conditions. No public proof-of-concept was identified in the provided data.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Jul 14, 2026

Local privilege escalation in Microsoft Exchange Server (2016 CU23, 2019 CU14/CU15, and Subscription Edition RTM) allows an authenticated attacker with low-level privileges on the server to elevate to higher privileges due to insufficiently granular access controls (CWE-1220). The CVSS 3.1 score of 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L) reflects local exploitation yielding full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact. A vendor patch is available; there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and the flaw is not listed in CISA KEV.

RemediationAI

Apply the Microsoft security update for your build as documented in the vendor advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-55006 - a patch is available per Microsoft for Exchange Server 2016 CU23, 2019 CU14/CU15, and Subscription Edition RTM. Exact fixed build numbers should be taken directly from the MSRC page for your specific Cumulative Update, as the input does not enumerate them. Because exploitation is local and requires an existing authenticated foothold, effective compensating controls until patching include restricting and monitoring interactive and low-privilege access to Exchange servers, enforcing least-privilege on Exchange administrative and mailbox roles, and auditing for unexpected privilege elevation on the host; the trade-off is operational overhead and no substitute for the vendor fix. Ensure servers are first brought to the required baseline Cumulative Update, since Microsoft security updates are cumulative-update-specific.

Affected VersionsENISA

Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 15 15.02.0.0 <15.02.1748.048
Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 14 15.02.0.0 <15.02.1544.043
Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 23 15.01.0.0 <15.01.2507.071
Microsoft Exchange Server Subscription Edition RTM 15.02.0.0 <15.02.2562.045

Affected Packages

euvd microsoft_exchange_server_2016_cumulative_update_23 fix: 15.01.2507.071
euvd microsoft_exchange_server_2019_cumulative_update_14 fix: 15.02.1544.043
euvd microsoft_exchange_server_2019_cumulative_update_15 fix: 15.02.1748.048
euvd microsoft_exchange_server_subscription_edition_rtm fix: 15.02.2562.045

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

Microsoft Exchange Server is a widely deployed on-premises messaging and collaboration platform whose services run with elevated system privileges and enforce authorization boundaries across mailbox, transport, and administrative roles. The root cause is classified as CWE-1220 (Insufficient Granularity of Access Control), meaning the product enforces access at too coarse a level, so an operation available to a lower-privileged role also exposes actions or objects that should require a higher privilege tier. Per the affected CPE strings, this spans microsoft_exchange_server_2016_cumulative_update_23, 2019_cumulative_update_14, 2019_cumulative_update_15, and the Subscription_Edition_rtm builds, indicating the weak authorization logic is shared across the current supported Exchange codebase rather than a single release.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (microsoft) PRIMARY 7.8 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
ENISA EUVD HIGH
vuln.today AI 7.8 HIGH

Local privilege escalation from an existing low-privileged authenticated context (AV:L, PR:L, AC:L, UI:N) yielding full host compromise, so C/I/A all High with unchanged scope.

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/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
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

DescriptionCVE.org

Insufficient granularity of access control in Microsoft Exchange Server allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Microsoft Exchange Server versions 2016 CU23, 2019 CU14/CU15, and Subscription Edition RTM are vulnerable to local privilege escalation that allows authenticated users to gain full administrative control over affected servers. Organizations operating these Exchange versions face elevated risk of unauthorized access to email systems, data exfiltration, and service disruption if internal staff or compromised accounts exploit this flaw.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 88% exploitable
Prevalence
High
widely deployed enterprise on-premises mail server across many organizations
Threat Intel
1
1 sources
Vendor Status
Publicly Disclosed:No
Exploited:No
Latest Software Release:Exploitation Less Likely
Data Quality
6 sources
Confidence: High

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 0.2%
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
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

44
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +39
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: +5

Attack Technique

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

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