SYSTEM escalation via cloud-file hydration callback
Published Aug 14, 2026 · Updated Aug 25, 2026
Elevation of privilege in Microsoft Malware Protection Engine in Microsoft Defender allows local users to gain SYSTEM privileges via crafted cloud-backed files. Public ShieldBreak code registers a Cloud Files sync root, serves different data across FETCH_DATA callbacks, and then steers Defender cleanup through object-directory links to load or map C:\Windows\System32\phoneinfo.dll. Exploitation requires local code execution with low privileges and Defender’s engine active, and the published proof of concept targets privilege gain rather than remote compromise.
Summary
What happened
Elevation of privilege in Microsoft Malware Protection Engine in Microsoft Defender allows local users to gain SYSTEM privileges via crafted cloud-backed files. Public ShieldBreak code registers a Cloud Files sync root, serves different data across FETCH_DATA callbacks, and then steers Defender cleanup through object-directory links to load or map C:\Windows\System32\phoneinfo.dll. Exploitation requires local code execution with low privileges and Defender’s engine active, and the published proof of concept targets privilege gain rather than remote compromise.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-69414
- Published
- Aug 14, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 25, 2026
- Vendor
- Unknown vendor
- Product
- Unknown product
- Classifications
- CWE-269, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 14, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 25, 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?
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.
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
- ShieldBreakproof of concept · unverified
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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