Microsoft Patch Tuesday (January 2026): 114 Vulnerabilities Fixed
Microsoft has released its first security update of 2026, addressing 114 vulnerabilities, including one flaw actively exploited in the wild.
🔐 Key highlights:
- 114 total flaws patched
- 8 Critical
- 106 Important
- 58 privilege escalation vulnerabilities
- 21 remote code execution issues
- 22 information disclosure flaws
⚠️ Actively exploited vulnerability
- CVE-2026-20805 – Desktop Window Manager (DWM)
- Allows local information disclosure that can be chained to bypass ASLR
- Added to CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog
- Federal agencies must patch by February 3, 2026
🔑 Other notable fixes
- Secure Boot certificate bypass (ahead of major certificate expirations in 2026)
- Removal of vulnerable legacy modem drivers exploited for privilege escalation
- Critical privilege escalation in Windows VBS Enclave affecting core security boundaries
📌 Why this matters
DWM, Secure Boot, and VBS sit at the heart of Windows security. Vulnerabilities here are often leveraged as building blocks for advanced, persistent attacks.
👉 Recommendation:
Prioritize patching, especially on systems exposed to local access, VDI environments, and endpoints running privileged workloads.
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