Microsoft Addresses Record Number of Vulnerabilities, Including Exploited Zero-Day

Microsoft's October 2026 Patch Tuesday included a record 1,413 Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs), with a critical zero-day flaw, CVE-2026-96951, being actively exploited. This vulnerability allows attackers to bypass Windows' Mark of the Web warning system. CISA has mandated federal agencies remediate this zero-day by October 16, 2026, marking it as the third Windows Shell vulnerability exploited this year.