Description
Improper authorization in Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS) allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | Windows 10 Version 1607 | 10.0.14393.0 – < 10.0.14393.9339 | 10.0.14393.9339 |
| Microsoft | Windows 10 Version 1809 | 10.0.17763.0 – < 10.0.17763.9020 | 10.0.17763.9020 |
| Microsoft | Windows Server 2012 | 6.2.9200.0 – < 6.2.9200.26226 | 6.2.9200.26226 |
| Microsoft | Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation) | 6.2.9200.0 – < 6.2.9200.26226 | 6.2.9200.26226 |
| Microsoft | Windows Server 2012 R2 | 6.3.9600.0 – < 6.3.9600.23291 | 6.3.9600.23291 |
| Microsoft | Windows Server 2012 R2 (Server Core installation) | 6.3.9600.0 – < 6.3.9600.23291 | 6.3.9600.23291 |
| Microsoft | Windows Server 2016 | 10.0.14393.0 – < 10.0.14393.9339 | 10.0.14393.9339 |
| Microsoft | Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation) | 10.0.14393.0 – < 10.0.14393.9339 | 10.0.14393.9339 |
| Microsoft | Windows Server 2019 | 10.0.17763.0 – < 10.0.17763.9020 | 10.0.17763.9020 |
| Microsoft | Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation) | 10.0.17763.0 – < 10.0.17763.9020 | 10.0.17763.9020 |
| Microsoft | Windows Server 2022 | 10.0.20348.0 – < 10.0.20348.5386 | 10.0.20348.5386 |
| Microsoft | Windows Server 2025 | 10.0.26100.0 – < 10.0.26100.33158 | 10.0.26100.33158 |
| Microsoft | Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation) | 10.0.26100.0 – < 10.0.26100.33158 | 10.0.26100.33158 |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
GitHub 14 repositories · most starred shown
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aniqfakhrul/CVE-2026-54121 ★ 342 · Jul 23, 2026
Certighost POC
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tc4dy/CVE-2026-54121-PoC-Exploit ★ 30 · Jul 25, 2026
CVE-2026-54121 - CertiGhost AD CS Multi-Exploit Framework | Rogue DC + LDAP spoofing, certificate abuse, PKINIT hash extraction, auto DCSync. Safe Checker + full exploit, multi-threaded mass scan, Sh…
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marcgoam/CVE-2026-54121-CertiGhost ★ 11 · Jul 27, 2026
CVE-2026-54121 (Certighost) AD CS DC-impersonation PoC. Patched SAN handling + MAQ-safe account reuse.
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nafiez/Metasploit-CVE-2026-54121-Certighost ★ 5 · Jul 31, 2026
A Metasploit auxiliary module that escalates from any low-privileged domain user to full domain compromise by abusing the AD CS enrollment "chase" fallback. The CA can be coerced into authenticating …
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ashrafzaryouh/CVE-2026-54121 ★ 2 · Jul 25, 2026
CVE-2026-54121
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KrakenEU/CVE-2026-54121-CertiGhost ★ 1 · Jul 31, 2026
CVE-2026-54121(CertiGhost) without MachineAccountQuota POC
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ChPratik/CVE-2026-54121 ★ 1 · Jul 28, 2026
Improper authorization in Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS) allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network.
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AtlasVector/Certighost-CVE-2026-54121 ★ 0 · Aug 3, 2026
Splunk detection writeup for CVE-2026-54121 (CertiGhost): AD CS certificate chase abuse leading to full domain compromise. Lab-validated detection, triage steps, and incident investigation against a …
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GlendonNotGlen/certighost-cve-2026-54121-slides ★ 0 · Jul 26, 2026
Slidev presentation for Certighost (CVE-2026-54121), with Mermaid diagrams and exported assets.
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HORKimhab/CVE-2026-54121 ★ 0 · Jul 25, 2026
CVE-2026-54121 - Draft
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 3
- WID-SEC-2026-2316 Microsoft Windows Produkte: Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Sep 6, 2026
- NCSC-2026-0231 Kwetsbaarheden verholpen in Microsoft Windows NCSC-NL (Netherlands) · Jul 14, 2026
- MSRC-CVE-2026-54121 Active Directory Certificate Services Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability Microsoft Security Response Center · Jul 14, 2026
References
- Active Directory Certificate Services Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability vendor-advisory patch