Authenticated privilege escalation via missing function authentication
Published Jan 13, 2026 · Updated Jan 13, 2026
Missing authentication in Microsoft SQL Server 2022 and 2025 allows remote authenticated users to elevate privileges over a network. Microsoft identifies missing authentication for a critical SQL Server function but has not disclosed the function or the unchecked operation. Exploitation requires high-privilege SQL access; the resulting elevated role and permissions remain undisclosed.
Summary
What happened
Missing authentication in Microsoft SQL Server 2022 and 2025 allows remote authenticated users to elevate privileges over a network. Microsoft identifies missing authentication for a critical SQL Server function but has not disclosed the function or the unchecked operation. Exploitation requires high-privilege SQL access; the resulting elevated role and permissions remain undisclosed.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-20803
- Published
- Jan 13, 2026
- Updated
- Jan 13, 2026
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Microsoft SQL Server
- Classifications
- CWE-306, T1068
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- admin
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 13, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jan 13, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=16.0.0.0 <16.0.4230.2
- Affected versionversion=16.0.0 <16.0.1165.1
- Affected versionversion=17.0.1050.2 <17.0.1050.2
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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