Microsoft Patches a Record 570 Security Flaws
July 14, 2026 · Krebs on Security · Severity: HIGH
Microsoft Corp. released software updates addressing a record 570 security vulnerabilities across its Windows operating systems and other software, nearly triple the number fixed in its previous Patch Tuesday release. Among these, nearly 60 were rated critical, allowing attackers to remotely seize control of Windows devices with minimal user interaction. Microsoft also patched three zero-day flaws, two of which are already being exploited in the wild. Notable vulnerabilities include CVE-2026-56155 (an Active Directory Federation Services bug), CVE-2026-56164 (a Microsoft SharePoint flaw), and CVE-2026-50661 (a BitLocker security bypass enabling access to encrypted data with physical device access). Microsoft attributed the surge in vulnerability discoveries to advancements in artificial intelligence, which accelerates both detection and analysis. The patches highlight the growing complexity of cybersecurity as AI tools not only aid defenders but also empower attackers to exploit vulnerabilities more rapidly. For instance, CVE-2026-48561, a remote code execution flaw in Microsoft Copilot, allows unauthorized attackers to execute code over the network via malicious websites. Experts like Satnam Narang of Tenable argue that Microsoft’s exploitability index, which assesses the likelihood of vulnerabilities being exploited, needs to evolve to account for AI-driven attack capabilities. This month’s SharePoint zero-day, initially rated “less likely” to be exploited, was added to CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list shortly after its discovery. The increasing patch cadence across major software vendors, including Adobe, Cisco, Mozilla, and Oracle, underscores the escalating pace of vulnerability management in the AI era. Users are advised to back up systems before applying updates and consider delaying patch deployment to avoid potential stability issues introduced by such a large volume of fixes.
Microsoft Corp. today released software updates to plug at least 570 security holes in its Windows operating systems and other software, almost triple the number of vulnerabilities the software giant fixed in its record-smashing Patch Tuesday release last month. Microsoft attributed the burgeoning patch counts to vulnerability discoveries aided by artificial intelligence.
Nearly 60 of the bugs quashed in July’s Patch Tuesday earned a “critical” severity rating, meaning miscreants or malware could use them to seize remote control over a Windows device with little or no help from the user. Microsoft also addressed three zero-day flaws, including two that are already being exploited in the wild.
Two of the zero-day weaknesses allow an attacker to elevate their user rights on a Windows system, as do approximately 250 other elevation of privilege flaws fixed this month; they include CVE-2026-56155 — an Active Directory Federation Services bug — and CVE-2026-56164, a Microsoft Sharepoint vulnerability.
CVE-2026-50661 is a security feature bypass in Windows BitLocker that could allow attackers to gain access to encrypted data if they have physical access to the device. Microsoft said this bug has been detailed publicly, but that it is not aware of any active exploitation.
In a blog post on July 9, Microsoft Executive Vice President Pavan Davuluri wrote that Windows users will notice “a higher volume of security updates included in each security release” as a result of AI aiding in the discovery of vulnerabilities.
“The pace of vulnerability discovery is changing with advances in AI making it possible to find more issues, faster, across more code, with new mechanisms that can accelerate both discovery and analysis,” Davuluri wrote.
Jack Bicer, director of vulnerability research at Action1, called attention to CVE-2026-48561, a remote code execution flaw in Microsoft Copilot (with a 9.6 CVSS threat score) that allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over the network. Microsoft says an attacker could exploit this bug by hosting a malicious website that causes Microsoft Edge for Android to automatically send crafted prompts to Copilot when a user visits the site.
As AI advances the state of vulnerability discovery and remediation, it is also making it easier for attackers to quickly devise working exploits for known software flaws. Microsoft has long labeled security bugs using its “exploitability index,” which is Redmond’s best guess as to how likely it is that attackers will be able to figure out a reliable way to exploit a given vulnerability.
But Satnam Narang, senior staff research engineer at Tenable, argues that Microsoft’s exploitability index needs to do a better job of shifting with the machine speed of discovery. For example, Microsoft originally gave this month’s SharePoint zero-day an exploitability rating of “less likely,” although the flaw was added to CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list on July 1.
“Anthropic’s Red Team’s own findings for known vulnerabilities (n-days) revealed how fragile this system has become, with its Mythos Preview model being able to produce proof-of-concept exploits for 13 of 14 vulnerabilities that were rated ‘Exploitation Less Likely’ or ‘Exploitation Unlikely,'” Narang said. “What this means is that our way of looking at Patch Tuesday has changed, because the exploitability index is centered around humans, not AI tools, and as these tools continue to improve, defense needs to improve alongside it.”
Chris Goettl at Ivanti observed that the record patch numbers from Microsoft come as a number of other major software makers are increasing their patch cadence, including Adobe which announced today it is moving to twice-monthly security bulletins published on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month (Adobe also cited AI for accelerating their patch cycles). Cisco, Mozilla and Oracle also are shipping updates more frequently, while Google’s patch batches in June 2026 totaled more than 900 security fixes, Goettl noted.
Backing up your Windows system and/or data is always a good idea before applying operating system updates. Given the volume of patches addressed this month it may be wise for end users to wait a few days before applying these fixes. It’s not uncommon for security patches to introduce system stability issues, and those chances probably increase quite a bit with the gigantic patch count released today.
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Key Takeaways
- Microsoft patched a record 570 security flaws in July 2026, nearly triple last month's count.
- The massive update underscores the growing volume of vulnerabilities in Windows and software.
- Organizations must prioritize patching to address the unprecedented number of security holes.