CVE-2026-96044 in SharePoint Server
Summary
by MITRE • 10/14/2026
No cwe for this issue in Microsoft Office SharePoint allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/14/2026
The vulnerability described involves a privilege escalation flaw within Microsoft Office SharePoint, specifically affecting environments where the software is deployed on-premises or in hybrid configurations that retain legacy authentication and authorization mechanisms. While the initial assessment indicates no specific Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) identifier has been assigned by standard bodies for this particular instance, the nature of the defect aligns closely with CWE-269, which denotes Improper Privilege Management. This category encompasses scenarios where an actor possesses valid credentials but exploits a logical or architectural weakness to gain access to resources or perform actions beyond their intended authorization level. In the context of SharePoint, such flaws often stem from insufficient validation of user roles during specific API calls, web service interactions, or administrative operations that are exposed over network interfaces.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability typically involves an attacker leveraging authorized credentials to interact with internal endpoints or services that do not strictly enforce role-based access control (RBAC) boundaries. By manipulating request parameters, headers, or session states, the attacker can trick the application into executing functions reserved for higher-privileged accounts, such as system administrators or farm admins. This process does not require exploiting a buffer overflow or code injection error in the traditional sense; rather, it relies on logical errors in how the SharePoint server processes identity tokens and permission checks during network transactions. The flaw allows an authenticated user to bypass security controls that are designed to isolate lower-privileged users from critical system configurations, database modifications, or service account operations.
From a risk perspective, this vulnerability poses a severe threat to organizational integrity because it enables lateral movement within the Active Directory environment if SharePoint is integrated with such identity providers. An attacker who successfully elevates privileges can potentially extract sensitive data, modify site collections, install malicious web parts, or even execute arbitrary code depending on the specific capabilities exposed by the elevated permissions. This aligns with MITRE ATT&CK technique T1078, Valid Accounts, and more specifically T1098, Account Manipulation, as the attacker may create new administrative accounts to maintain persistent access. The ability to escalate privileges over a network means that remote attackers do not need physical or local console access, significantly expanding the attack surface across any connected client devices within the corporate network.
Mitigation strategies for this issue must focus on strict adherence to least privilege principles and rigorous monitoring of administrative activities. Organizations should ensure that SharePoint servers are patched with the latest cumulative updates provided by Microsoft, as these often include fixes for logical authorization flaws even if they do not carry a public CVE identifier. Access controls should be reviewed regularly to minimize the number of users with elevated permissions, and multi-factor authentication should be enforced for all administrative accounts. Additionally, implementing network segmentation can limit the ability of compromised low-privilege accounts to reach sensitive SharePoint endpoints. Security teams should also deploy advanced threat protection solutions that monitor for anomalous privilege escalation patterns, such as sudden changes in user roles or access to restricted configuration pages by standard users. Continuous auditing and logging of administrative actions are essential to detect exploitation attempts early and respond before significant damage occurs.