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Microsoft released its February 2026 security updates on February 10. Windows 11 and Windows Server are rated Important in Microsoft’s release table—not Critical—though Microsoft flagged six vulnerabilities as exploited before release or publicly disclosed. PCWorld reports that five Critical findings affected Azure, not desktop PCs or local-network servers.

What February’s Patch Tuesday fixed

Microsoft’s February 10, 2026, release covered Windows 11 versions 25H2, 24H2 and 23H2, along with Windows Server 2025, 2022, 23H2, 2019 and 2016. Office, SharePoint and Exchange Server also received updates. Microsoft lists Windows 11 and Windows Server as Important, with remote code execution as the most serious impact for those product families. Office is Important with elevation of privilege as its largest impact; SharePoint and Exchange Server are Important with spoofing as their largest impact. See Microsoft’s February security update release note.

The headline claim that most Windows fixes are Critical does not match Microsoft’s severity labels. PCWorld’s coverage distinguishes five Critical Azure vulnerabilities from the Windows desktop and local-network server findings, which it says were not classified Critical. That distinction is about product scope: Azure findings should not be presented as the severity of Windows PC patches. PCWorld’s report provides that Azure-versus-desktop/server context.

Which vulnerabilities were flagged as exploited or disclosed?

Microsoft named six vulnerabilities in a warning that they had been exploited before the updates were published or their details had been publicly disclosed. The combined warning does not establish that every vulnerability met both conditions, so it is not accurate to call all six actively exploited zero-days without checking each CVE record.

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  • CVE-2026-21513: MSHTML Framework security feature bypass.
  • CVE-2026-21510: Windows Shell security feature bypass.
  • CVE-2026-21533: Windows Remote Desktop Services elevation of privilege.
  • CVE-2026-21525: Windows Remote Access Connection Manager denial of service.
  • CVE-2026-21519: Desktop Window Manager elevation of privilege.
  • CVE-2026-21514: Word security feature bypass.

The same Microsoft warning also references CVE-2025-2884, a TPM 2.0 reference implementation out-of-bounds read. Separately, Microsoft says CVE-2026-21531 in Azure SDK for Python has a CVSS base score of 9.8 and can be exploited without authentication or user interaction; Microsoft says it was neither publicly disclosed nor exploited before release. The 9.8 score and status are from Microsoft’s February release note, not a rating for the Windows updates as a whole.

Rwanda’s National Cyber Security Authority summarized the release as 58 vulnerabilities and six actively exploited zero-days. That count is the agency’s summary, not a number to attribute directly to Microsoft based on the release-note passage cited here. NCSA’s alert gives its summary.

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Which Windows 11 update applies to your version?

Check your installed Windows version before selecting a package. Microsoft’s February cumulative update mapping is:

Windows 11 version February update OS build
25H2 KB5077181 26200.7840
24H2 KB5077181 26100.7840
23H2 KB5075941 22631.6649

Microsoft’s KB5077181 support page covers 25H2 and 24H2. The KB5075941 support page covers 23H2. The 25H2/24H2 cumulative update includes security fixes and improvements as well as non-security changes from the prior optional preview; Microsoft describes KB5075941 as addressing Windows security issues.

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How to install the February Windows security update

The right installation route depends on whether the PC is personally managed or controlled by an organization. Microsoft lists Windows Update and Microsoft Update, managed deployment options including Windows Update for Business and WSUS, and standalone packages in the Microsoft Update Catalog.

  1. Confirm your Windows version. Open Settings > System > About and check the Windows specifications before using the version-to-KB table above.
  2. For a personally managed PC, check Windows Update. Open Settings > Windows Update, select Check for updates, and follow the available update prompts. Microsoft says security updates generally download and install automatically through Windows Update and Microsoft Update.
  3. For a work or school device, follow your organization’s deployment process. IT teams may deploy through managed channels. Microsoft says security updates synchronize with WSUS when Products and Classifications are configured for Security Updates.
  4. For manual installation, verify the package first. Microsoft advises consulting the Security Update Guide and the corresponding KB article before installing a standalone package from the Update Catalog.
  5. Review the current KB status before proceeding. Microsoft’s support page is the authoritative place to check package details and any known-issue updates. Managed-device users should follow their organization’s change process rather than installing a package independently.

Microsoft’s Security Update Guide FAQ says Patch Tuesday is scheduled for the second Tuesday of each month at 10:00 AM Pacific time; some products do not follow that schedule. February’s release date was February 10, 2026. See the Security Update Guide FAQ for Microsoft’s scheduling and deployment guidance.

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