Microsoft’s October Patch Tuesday update stands out for two reasons. First, the total number of patches has reached four digits for the first time. Second, to help companies better understand the details of the vulnerabilities, Microsoft has decided to group them into risk cohorts. A cohort brings together vulnerabilities that are exploited under the same conditions and affect the same systems. They replace neither the severity rating, nor the individual bulletins for each CVE. While they’re unlikely to be suitable for comprehensive patch prioritization, they will help quickly assess which part of an infrastructure is currently most at risk.

Statistics corner

Of the 1,414 vulnerabilities addressed in the October Patch Tuesday release, 1,102 directly affect the Windows operating system, 134 — Microsoft Office, 36 — SharePoint Server, 22 — SQL Server, and seven — Exchange Server. The vast majority — 677 — lead to privilege escalation, 317 to remote code execution, 40 to security bypass, and 73 to denial of service (DoS).

There are 86 critical vulnerabilities on the list, of which 68 lead to RCE, 14 to privilege escalation, three to spoofing, and one to data leakage. In addition, two vulnerabilities were disclosed before being patched, and one is being exploited in real-world attacks.

CVE-2026-96951 — vulnerability in Windows Shell

The only zero-day vulnerability patched in the October update that attackers are already exploiting in real-world attacks is CVE-2026-96951 in Windows Shell (CVSS severity score: 8.8). Details on how it’s being exploited aren’t yet known; however, according to Microsoft’s description, it involves command injection that allows bypassing a security feature when accessing the system over a network. Microsoft credits experts at both Fujitsu and Anthropic for discovering the vulnerability, so it was likely found using neural networks.

CVE-2026-108398 and CVE-2026-92707: vulnerabilities disclosed before patches were released

Information about these two vulnerabilities was made public before the October update was released. In theory, this could mean that attackers attempted to exploit them ahead of time. These are:

• CVE-2026-108398 — a vulnerability in the .NET Framework that allows bypassing WDAC protection;
• CVE-2026-92707 — a vulnerability in the third-party MessagePack-CSharp serialization component, leading to a denial of service (DoS).

However, according to the security bulletins, neither has been observed in actual attacks yet.

What else to pay attention to

Several vulnerabilities patched by the latest update combine potentially serious consequences with relatively simple exploitation. Particular attention should be paid to three flaws that could potentially lead to arbitrary code execution:

• CVE-2026-65674 (in SQL Server);
• CVE-2026-70571 (in Exchange Server);
• CVE-2026-70229 (in AD Domain Services).

What else should be patched?

Microsoft isn’t the only company that releases regular update packages for newly discovered vulnerabilities.

In its October update, Adobe fixed 174 defects in its products, including critical vulnerabilities (CVSS 10) in ColdFusion and Commerce/Magento. These systems are typically accessible from an external network, making them particularly attractive to attackers.

SAP’s October security bulletin lists 20 vulnerabilities, including CVE-2026-89111 — an SSRF vulnerability in the Cloud SDK for Python. This vulnerability, rated CVSS 10, allows attackers to steal OAuth tokens.

How to keep your company safe?

Recently, thanks to neural networks, the number of vulnerabilities detected and patched has been regularly breaking records. To avoid getting overwhelmed by the flood of patches, we recommend using an automated platform for tracking and assessing vulnerabilities . It helps not only identify and fix vulnerabilities, it also prioritizes them based on actual risks and automates the remediation process.

On September 15 this year, Google published details of patches for 110 vulnerabilities in its own Google Pixel smartphones. Among all the disclosed flaws, CVE-2026-58704 stands out the most, for it appears that this zero-day is being exploited in targeted attacks.

In today’s post, we talk about what’s so special about the Google Pixel, and why these devices get security updates all of their own – separate from regular Android updates. We also cover the vulnerabilities addressed in this latest update, with a special focus on the mentioned, most dangerous one – CVE-2026-58704 – and wrap up with tips on how to both protect your device and avoid becoming a victim of cyberattack on it.

Why do Google Pixel phones get security updates separate from Android?

The reader might reasonably wonder: I’ve already installed this month’s Android security updates on my Google Pixel. Isn’t that the same thing? Google Pixel does run on Android and receives those security updates, which are detailed in the monthly Android Security Bulletin. However, manufacturers of Android-based devices use different sets of hardware and software components. That’s why, alongside vulnerabilities common to all Android devices, there are security issues specific to individual manufacturers’ devices.

For its own smartphones, Google publishes separate security updates, covered by a dedicated Pixel Update Bulletin. Rather than replacing the Android Security Bulletin, this document complements it by detailing vulnerabilities specific to devices manufactured by Google. Other Android smartphones also receive similar updates from their manufacturers.

The Pixel Update Bulletin for September 2026 clearly shows why Google needs separate updates for its smartphones in the first place. Many of the vulnerabilities it fixes affect specific Pixel hardware (or hardware-related) components: the modem, bootloader, GPU, fingerprint scanner components, and other parts of the device. On smartphones from other manufacturers, these features might rely on entirely different hardware and software components, so the fixes listed in the Pixel Update Bulletin don’t apply to those phones.

That said, these vulnerabilities could still be relevant for Pixel owners who’ve flashed their devices with custom ROMs. Switching to a different OS doesn’t alter the device’s hardware components, and may not replace the firmware. Therefore, the vulnerabilities themselves may persist, but whether patches are available, and how they’re installed, depends on the specific OS.

CVE-2026-58704: a zero-day vulnerability being actively exploited in the wild

Now let’s look closer at the specific vulnerabilities Google fixed in September. The most significant one is the above-mentioned CVE-2026-58704.

This vulnerability affects the Cellular Modem component, which handles the smartphone’s communication with cellular networks. It stems from a logic error in the code, which, under certain conditions, allows bypassing the intended permission check.

Successful exploitation of CVE-2026-58704 lets attackers escalate privileges on the smartphone to gain broader access to its functions and data. Note that the attack takes place over a cellular network and the threat actors need low-level privileges on the targeted device to start with.

In practice, this means attackers can’t exploit CVE-2026-58704 to attack a Pixel from just anywhere over the internet, as they’d apparently need to either compromise the cellular network the target smartphone is already connected to or, more likely, force it to connect to a malicious base station under their control.

Google hasn’t disclosed all the details of this vulnerability yet, and the related report is not publicly accessible. As a result, the technical details that would show how easy it is for attackers to exploit CVE-2026-58704 remain unknown pending installation of the patches on all devices.

Nevertheless, Google claims that there are signs of limited exploitation of CVE-2026-58704.

What we know about the other 109 vulnerabilities

Of the remaining 109 vulnerabilities found in Google Pixel devices, only one is rated moderate; the others are either high (62) or outright critical (46). Nine of these flaws fall into the RCE (remote code execution) category. This means that if an attacker successfully exploits one of these vulnerabilities, they can remotely force the device to run malicious code. The exact conditions for the attack depend on the specific vulnerability.

Another 88 vulnerabilities fall into the elevation of privilege (EoP) category. These let an attacker who’s already gained a certain level of access to the device expand their privileges. The CVE-2026-58704 vulnerability discussed above falls into this same category, which is why the September bulletin lists 89 EoP vulnerabilities in total.

Finally, 10 vulnerabilities can lead to information disclosure (ID), and two more to denial of service (DoS). In short, that’s a hefty list of flaws, so Google Pixel owners shouldn’t wait around to install the patches.

How to avoid becoming a victim

Google Pixel owners can install the update that fixes the vulnerabilities covered in this post by following this path: Settings → Security & privacy → System & updates → Security update → Install. Keep in mind that the phone will automatically restart to finish installing the update.

To keep your phone secure we recommend the following general measures:

• Install security updates on your phone regularly and promptly – whether it’s a Google Pixel, an Android smartphone from a different manufacturer, or even an iPhone.
• Avoid installing apps from questionable sources.
• Read reviews before installing apps from official stores, since malware isn’t uncommon there too. Users who have already been burned will often sound the alarm in the reviews long before store moderators get around to removing the dangerous app.
• Install a reliable security solution to keep you from downloading malware, and warn you about suspicious activity on your device.