SolarFlare

CVE-2026-41091 - RedSun (SolarFlare) - Microsoft Defender LPE Exploit Toolkit

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This tool is provided for educational and authorized penetration testing purposes only. The authors and contributors are not responsible for any misuse or damage caused by this software. Users are solely responsible for ensuring they have explicit written permission from the target owner before testing. Unauthorized access to computer systems is illegal under applicable federal, state, and international cybercrime laws. By using this software, you agree to:

Use it only on systems you own or have explicit permission to test.
Comply with all applicable local, state, and federal laws.
Not use it for any malicious, destructive, or illegal activities.

[!] WARNING: Active Directory elevation of privilege vulnerabilities present high risk to enterprise infrastructure. Unauthorized testing is strictly prohibited.

Microsoft Defender Link Following Vulnerability - Local Privilege Escalation to NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM

The vulnerability is known as "RedSun", "SolarFlare" is the name I gave to my exploit.

[<] Overview

This repository contains a full working Proof of Concept (PoC) exploit for CVE-2026-41091, a critical local privilege escalation vulnerability in Microsoft Defender (Microsoft Malware Protection Engine). By exploiting improper link resolution (CWE-59), an authenticated low-privileged attacker can gain NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM privileges.

The vulnerability, also known as "RedSun" or "SolarFlare", allows attackers to trick Microsoft Defender into writing arbitrary files to protected system locations with SYSTEM privileges using Cloud Files API (CfAPI) and NTFS junction points.

Note: This repository includes two versions:

basic_poc.cpp - Simplified algorithm demonstration (educational)

full_poc.cpp - Complete working exploit with all features

[-<] Key Features

Category	Feature	`basic_poc.cpp`	`full_poc.cpp`
Exploitation	Local Privilege Escalation to SYSTEM	`[+]`	`[+]`
	Cloud Files API (CfAPI) Integration	`[-]`	`[+]`
	Cloud Placeholder Creation	`[-]`	`[+]`
	NTFS Junction Redirection	`[~]`	`[+]`
	COM Service Activation	`[-]`	`[+]`
Techniques	Batch Oplock Abuse	`[+]`	`[+]`
	VSS Snapshot Detection	`[+]`	`[+]`
	EICAR Trigger	`[+]`	`[+]`
	NTFS Reparse Point (Mount Point)	`[+]`	`[+]`
	File Disposition (NtSetInformationFile)	`[-]`	`[+]`
	Named Pipe Session ID Detection	`[-]`	`[+]`
	Console Session Launch (conhost.exe)	`[-]`	`[+]`
	WaitOnAddress / WakeByAddress	`[-]`	`[+]`
	SYSTEM Verification	`[-]`	`[+]`
Target	Microsoft Defender < 1.1.26040.8	`[+]`	`[+]`
	Windows 10/11	`[+]`	`[+]`
	Windows Server 2016	`[+]`	`[+]`
	Windows Server 2019/2022	`[+]`	`[+]`
	x64 only	`[+]`	`[+]`
Usability	Structured Logging	`[~]`	`[+]`
	Error Handling	`[~]`	`[+]`
	Random Directory Names	`[+]`	`[+]`
	Automatic Cleanup	`[~]`	`[+]`
	Retry Logic (NtCreateFile)	`[-]`	`[+]`

[i] Vulnerability Details

Attribute	Value
CVE ID	CVE-2026-41091
CVSS Score	7.8 (High)
CVSS Vector	AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack Vector	Local
Privileges Required	Low
User Interaction	None
Impact	SYSTEM-level code execution
CISA KEV	[+] Yes (actively exploited in the wild)
Patch Available	Microsoft Malware Protection Engine 1.1.26040.8

[c] Affected Products

Product	Affected Versions	Fixed Versions
Microsoft Malware Protection Engine	< 1.1.26040.8	1.1.26040.8+
Microsoft Defender Antimalware Platform	< 4.18.26040.7	4.18.26040.7+

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CVE-2026-41091-PoC-Exploit