New Microsoft Defender 'ShieldBreak' zero-day grants SYSTEM privileges
Source Bleeping Computer
Public exploit available · CVSS 7.8 High : upgrade to 1.1.26060.3008 as a priority.
Data as of 9 Nov 2026, 23:24 UTC
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 1.1.26060.3008
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:F/RL:U/RC:CExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 16 Jun 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: evidence found.
CVSS exploit maturity: proof of concept public
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), CVSS vector, the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 10 Nov 2026.
What to do
Upgrade Microsoft Malware Protection Engine to 1.1.26060.3008.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| MicrosoftMicrosoft Malware Protection Engine | Affected
| Fixed in
|
AI-suggested
Since the exploit requires Microsoft Defender to be enabled, temporarily disabling Microsoft Defender could mitigate the risk, but this may expose the system to other threats and is not generally recommended without additional protective measures. Avoid using untrusted code or running unverified software with elevated privileges.
Description
A new zero-day exploit named 'ShieldBreak' targets Microsoft Defender, enabling privilege escalation to SYSTEM level on fully patched Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server systems. The exploit bypasses the patch for a previous vulnerability called RoguePlanet (CVE-2026-50656). It requires Microsoft Defender to be enabled to succeed. The exploit was released by a security researcher known as Nightmare Eclipse, who has disclosed multiple zero-days affecting Microsoft products in 2026. Microsoft has patched RoguePlanet but has not yet addressed ShieldBreak. The exploit has been confirmed to work by an independent vulnerability analyst. There is no indication of active exploitation in the wild or an official patch for ShieldBreak at this time.