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Power Automate EUVDEUVD-2026-73887

| CVE-2026-77897 HIGH
Relative Path Traversal (CWE-23)
2026-09-08 secure@microsoft.com GHSA-wf4r-6fvq-98c6
7.0
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: microsoft
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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Obtain low-privilege local Windows account
  2. Delivery
    Identify path traversal input point in Power Automate agent
  3. Exploit
    Craft relative path traversal payload
  4. Execution
    Trigger high-complexity condition (race/service state)
  5. Persist
    Write attacker content to privileged directory
  6. Impact
    Execute code at elevated privilege

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V5 - File Handling Relative path traversal prevention
Exploitation Conditions

Requires a local, authenticated Windows account with at least low-level user privileges (PR:L) on a machine where Power Automate for Desktop or Power Automate agent for virtual desktops version before 2.71.115.26224 is installed. The AC:H metric indicates a high-complexity exploitation requirement - a specific environmental condition, timing window, or system state beyond the attacker's direct control must be met; the exact mechanism is not disclosed in available sources. Remote exploitation is not possible (AV:L). No user interaction from a second party is required (UI:N). Exploitation is limited to Windows endpoints running the affected Power Automate components; systems not running these products are unaffected.

Impact

The CVSS 7.0 base score (AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) reflects a realistic but non-trivial local privilege escalation: attack vector is local, complexity is high, and a low-privileged local account is required. The high complexity metric (AC:H) suppresses the score from what would otherwise be a critical LPE, indicating that exploitation requires conditions beyond the attacker's direct control - likely a race window or specific system state. Full C:H/I:H/A:H impact reflects complete compromise of the local system once triggered. EPSS data is not available in the input. No KEV listing and no public POC reduce near-term risk further. Real-world risk is moderate: this is a meaningful LPE for threat actors who already have local foothold on a Windows machine running Power Automate for Desktop, making it relevant in post-compromise lateral movement or privilege escalation chains. It is not remotely exploitable and unlikely to be mass-automated. The AC:H constraint is the primary limiting factor - the precise triggering mechanism is not described in available sources.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A local attacker with a standard (low-privileged) Windows account on a machine running Power Automate for Desktop supplies a crafted relative path containing traversal sequences to a file operation handled by the elevated Power Automate agent service. Under the high-complexity condition required (such as a specific timing window or service state), the traversal succeeds and the agent writes attacker-controlled content into a privileged directory - for example, replacing a DLL in a system path - resulting in code execution at elevated privilege upon the next service or process invocation.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Sep 08, 2026

Local privilege escalation in Microsoft Power Automate for Desktop and Power Automate agent for virtual desktops (all versions before 2.71.115.26224) is achievable via a relative path traversal flaw (CWE-23). An authenticated local user with low privileges can exploit improperly sanitized file path construction within Power Automate's RPA engine or agent service - which operates at elevated privilege - to write to or execute from an unintended directory, achieving full local privilege escalation. No public exploit code and no CISA KEV listing exist at time of analysis; vendor patch is available at version 2.71.115.26224.

RemediationAI

Upgrade both Power Automate for Desktop and Power Automate agent for virtual desktops to version 2.71.115.26224 or later, as confirmed by EUVD-sourced version data and the MSRC advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-77897. No specific workarounds are documented in available sources. As a compensating control pending patch deployment, restrict local user accounts on systems running Power Automate to the minimum necessary privilege and limit who can install or interact with Power Automate agent services; however, this does not eliminate the vulnerability since PR:L access is already a prerequisite. Monitor for unexpected file writes or process executions from Power Automate service contexts as a detection measure.

Affected VersionsENISA

Power Automate agent for virtual desktops 1.0.0.0 <2.71.115.26224
Power Automate for Desktop 1.0.0.0 <2.71.115.26224

Affected Packages

euvd power_automate_agent_for_virtual_desktops fix: 2.71.115.26224
euvd power_automate_for_desktop fix: 2.71.115.26224

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 2 packages in euvd

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

Technical ContextAI · show details

CWE-23 (Relative Path Traversal) occurs when an application builds a filesystem path using user-controlled input without adequately stripping or neutralizing traversal sequences such as '../', allowing access outside the intended directory tree. Power Automate for Desktop is Microsoft's robotic process automation (RPA) platform for Windows, automating desktop workflows. The affected components - Power Automate for Desktop and Power Automate agent for virtual desktops - likely include a privileged service or agent process (CPE: versions 1.0.0.0 through below 2.71.115.26224) that accepts user-controlled path input. Because the service runs at higher privilege than a standard user, a successful traversal enables a low-privileged local user to redirect file operations into protected system directories, achieving privilege escalation. The CVSS vector AV:L/AC:H/PR:L reflects that exploitation requires local presence, a low-privilege account, and high-complexity conditions (e.g., a race condition, specific file operation state, or environmental prerequisite).

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (microsoft) PRIMARY 7.0 HIGH
AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
ENISA EUVD HIGH
vuln.today AI 7.0 HIGH

Local-only path traversal requiring low-privilege account and high-complexity condition to achieve full LPE; C/I/A:H reflects complete local system compromise upon success.

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

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
Sep 08, 2026 - 18:35 EUVD
CVE Published
Sep 08, 2026 - 18:20 nvd
HIGH 7.0

DescriptionCVE.org

Relative path traversal in Power Automate allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Microsoft Power Automate for Desktop and Power Automate agent for virtual desktops contain a local privilege escalation vulnerability that enables authenticated low-privilege users to gain full administrative access to affected systems. Organizations relying on Power Automate for business process automation face significant risk from insiders and local attackers who could escalate privileges to compromise critical business systems and data. Immediate patching is necessary to eliminate this attack vector and protect organizational infrastructure.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 81% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
popular Microsoft RPA desktop automation tool in enterprise Windows environments
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 0.3%
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
Defer
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

40
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +35
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: +5

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