EUVD-2026-43908
GHSA-mxjm-62rx-cx94
Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local EoP requiring an existing low-privileged account (AV:L, PR:L), no user interaction or added complexity, yielding full SYSTEM-level C/I/A within unchanged scope.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Improper access control in Microsoft Windows Search Component allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
AnalysisAI
Local privilege escalation in the Microsoft Windows Search component lets an already-authenticated low-privilege user gain SYSTEM-level rights through improper access control (CWE-284). It affects all currently supported Windows client and server builds from Windows 10 1809 through Windows 11 26H1 and Windows Server 2019 through 2025. There is no public exploit identified at time of analysis, and it is not listed in CISA KEV, but Microsoft has released a patch.
Technical ContextAI
The affected component is the Windows Search subsystem (the indexing/search service and its associated Windows Search Protocol handling) that ships as a core part of every modern Windows edition. The root cause is classified as CWE-284 (Improper Access Control), meaning the component fails to correctly enforce authorization boundaries on a resource or operation it exposes, allowing a lower-privileged caller to perform an action reserved for a higher-privileged context. Because Windows Search runs with elevated service privileges and is present by default, a flaw in its access-control checks translates directly into a local elevation-of-privilege primitive. The CPE data confirms the flaw spans the OS platform itself (windows_10_version_1809 through windows_11_version_26h1, plus windows_server_2019/2022/2025 including Server Core installations) rather than a bolt-on application.
RemediationAI
Patch available per vendor advisory - apply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2026-50373 via Windows Update or your patch-management system as the primary fix, selecting the KB that matches each affected SKU (Windows 10 1809/21H2/22H2, Windows 11 24H2/25H2/26H1, Windows Server 2019/2022/2025 including Server Core) as listed at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-50373; exact fixed build numbers should be taken from that advisory rather than assumed. Because exploitation is local and requires an existing low-privileged account, interim compensating controls include restricting interactive and remote-desktop logon rights to trusted users on multi-user and terminal servers, and - where the search indexing capability is not needed - disabling the Windows Search service (services.msc, 'Windows Search' / WSearch), with the trade-off that Start-menu and Explorer search indexing will stop functioning. Prioritize hosts where non-administrative users can log in interactively, as these carry the highest practical exposure.
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Same weakness CWE-284 – Improper Access Control
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External POC / Exploit Code
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