Microsoft has rolled out its February 2026 Patch Tuesday security updates, which fix more than 50 flaws in Windows, Office, Azure, and Exchange, among other products. Of these, six are zero day flaws, which have already been exploited by cybercriminals prior to the patching.
What Are Zero Day Vulnerabilities
A zero-day exploit, on the other hand, refers to those exploits that are known by hackers, who also use them before an official solution has been found. In the February updates, these security bugs enabled hackers to bypass specific security measures or take control of the targeted systems.
How These Bugs Can Be Exploited
One of the more serious problems that CVE-2026-21510 causes is with the Windows Shell and Windows SmartScreen, which are functions used to protect users from malicious programs and Web links. By tricking users into clicking on a malicious Web link or a malicious shortcut, attackers could subvert these protective functions and install malware or execute nasty code.
Other zero-days fixed this month also appear to offer similar potential for attackers to overcome security features in Microsoft Word or MSHTML, the underlying web browser engine, as well as privilege escalation on an endpoint once an attacker has initially compromised it. These vulnerabilities can be triggered via an enticing link to an Office document or via files designed to appear harmless.
Public Disclosure and Increased Risk
Microsoft and security experts noticed that some of these vulnerabilities were publicly disclosed even before a patch was released. Public disclosure of exploit methods makes it easier for other hackers to adopt attacks done by hackers increasing the need for users to apply patches right away.
Contribution from Security Researchers
In Microsoft’s security advisories, the company thanked outside security experts from Google Threat Intelligence Group and Microsoft’s own security teams for their discovery of some of the actively exploited bugs and their subsequent contributions in developing the solutions.
Why This Matters to Users
Therefore, with these vulnerabilities already being exploited by hackers, it means they can use these vulnerabilities to infect devices with malware if they do not update their devices. Microsoft is advising everyone using these devices to adopt the updated patches as soon as possible, which were released in February 2026.