Forget the AI Slowdown—the Vulnerability Explosion Is Already Happening

WIRED launched Kernel Panic, a cybersecurity newsletter. According to cve.icu, by mid-September 2026 there were 66,401 CVE vulnerabilities—nearly double the previous year. Microsoft released a record 974 patches in a month, Oracle 1448 vs 309 a year earlier, and Chrome 1072 patches in two releases.

• Microsoft released 974 CVE patches in a month—a new record
• Oracle fixed 1448 vulnerabilities vs 309 a year earlier
• Chrome got 1072 patches in two June releases
• In 2026, 66,401 CVEs recorded vs 33,512 a year earlier