What happened
Microsoft released its February 2026 Patch Tuesday security update, addressing 59 vulnerabilities across its software ecosystem, including six zero‑day flaws that have been actively exploited in the wild prior to patch availability.
Who is affected
Organizations running Microsoft Windows, Office applications, Remote Desktop, and related Microsoft services are affected, with federal agencies required to patch six of the zero‑days by early March 2026 under CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog guidance.
Why CISOs should care
Six of the vulnerabilities were already leveraged by threat actors before patches were released, including security feature bypass and privilege‑escalation flaws in core Windows components and productivity applications, highlighting the critical need for rapidly deploying updates to avoid compromise, lateral movement, or complete domain breaches.
3 practical actions
- Prioritize deployment: Immediately assess and expedite deployment of the February Patch Tuesday updates across all affected Windows and Microsoft Office assets.
- Review exposure: Map and inventory systems with Remote Desktop, MSHTML, and desktop management components to understand exposure to actively exploited CVEs.
- Monitor and verify: Use vulnerability management and endpoint detection tools to verify successful patch installation and watch for indicators of compromise related to the flagged CVEs.