CVE-2026-45497: Microsoft Copilot Command Injection Vulnerability (CVSS 7.7)

Technical summary

CVE-2026-45497 is a command injection vulnerability (CWE-77) in Microsoft Copilot stemming from insufficient neutralization of special elements in command processing. The flaw has a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.7 (HIGH) with a network attack vector, high attack complexity, and low privilege requirement. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (high), integrity (low), and availability (low), with scope change indicating the impact extends beyond the vulnerable component. An authenticated attacker can craft malicious input containing unfiltered special characters to break out of the intended command context and execute arbitrary code.

Business impact

Successful exploitation could allow an insider or compromised legitimate user to execute code within the Copilot environment, potentially leading to lateral movement, data exfiltration, or system compromise. Organizations using Copilot for sensitive operational tasks face elevated risk, particularly if Copilot instances have access to critical backend systems or sensitive data repositories. The requirement for prior authentication limits blast radius compared to unauthenticated flaws, but the ability to escalate privileges or move laterally within the network creates material business risk.

Affected systems

Microsoft Copilot deployments are affected. The scope of deployment—whether this is the standalone Copilot application, Copilot integration within Microsoft 365, Copilot Pro, or other Microsoft Copilot variants—should be verified against Microsoft's official advisory. Organizations should audit their Copilot deployment footprint and user base to assess exposure.

Exploitability

Exploitability is moderately constrained but practical. The attacker must possess valid credentials or be able to impersonate an authorized user, raising the barrier to entry compared to unauthenticated exploits. However, the high attack complexity (AC:H) suggests the attack requires specific conditions or careful input crafting—but not that it is impractical. Once those conditions are met, network-based execution is possible without user interaction. The vulnerability is not currently tracked in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, indicating no evidence of active in-the-wild exploitation as of the modification date.

Remediation

Microsoft will issue patches to address the command injection flaw through proper input sanitization and neutralization of special characters in command processing. Organizations should apply security updates from Microsoft as they become available. Until patches are deployed, consider restricting Copilot access to users who require it for business-critical functions and monitor Copilot activity logs for signs of suspicious command execution or unexpected code runs.

Patch guidance

Monitor Microsoft Security Update Guides and the official Copilot product security advisories for patch availability and version numbers. Apply patches according to your change management and maintenance windows. Test patches in a non-production environment first to ensure compatibility with your Copilot deployment and dependent workflows. Verify patch installation and confirm that Copilot functionality remains unimpaired post-update.

Detection guidance

Monitor Copilot audit and activity logs for anomalous command execution, especially commands containing unusual special characters, escape sequences, or string concatenation patterns. Look for unexpected code execution initiated from Copilot processes, privilege escalation attempts, or access to sensitive files or systems by Copilot-associated accounts. Implement network-based detection rules to identify command injection payloads in communications with Copilot endpoints. Establish baselines of normal Copilot usage to surface deviations.

Why prioritize this

This vulnerability merits urgent attention despite requiring authentication. The HIGH CVSS score, network attack vector, and scope change reflecting multi-component impact justify expedited patching. Although authenticated access is a prerequisite, insider threats and compromised user credentials are realistic scenarios. Organizations relying on Copilot for business operations should treat this as a priority remediation task. The absence of public exploit code and KEV listing provides a small window to patch before widespread weaponization.

Risk score, explained

The CVSS v3.1 score of 7.7 reflects a HIGH severity vulnerability. The network attack vector (AV:N) allows remote exploitation; the low privilege requirement (PR:L) means an authenticated user can trigger the flaw; and attack complexity is high (AC:H), requiring specific conditions to be met. The high confidentiality impact and scope change indicate significant potential for data breach and lateral movement, outweighing the lower integrity and availability impacts. Organizations should not dismiss this as low-risk due to authentication requirements.

Frequently asked questions