CVE-2026-27909
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedUse after free in Microsoft Windows Search Component allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceA use-after-free vulnerability exists in the Microsoft Windows Search Component that allows a locally authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. The vulnerability occurs when the Search Component accesses memory after it has been freed, leading to potential arbitrary code execution in the SYSTEM context.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data< 10.0.14393.9060< 10.0.17763.8644< 10.0.19044.7184< 10.0.19045.7184< 10.0.22631.6936< 10.0.26100.8246< 10.0.26200.8246< 10.0.28000.1836CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Check Windows version and build numberRun 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to obtain the exact Windows build versionAffected if The build number falls below the fixed version for your Windows release (e.g., for Windows 10 22h2 the threshold is 10.0.19045.7184)
-
Verify Windows Search service statusRun 'sc query WindowsSearch' or check Services.msc for the Windows Search service to confirm if it is installed and runningAffected if The Windows Search service is enabled and running on an affected Windows version
-
Check Windows Search Component file versionLocate the SearchIndexer.exe or related search component DLLs (typically in C:\Windows\System32\) and run 'powershell (Get-Item "C:\Windows\System32\SearchIndexer.exe").VersionInfo' to retrieve the file versionAffected if The SearchIndexer.exe version is below the patched build for your Windows version
-
Confirm local user access existsReview if standard user accounts or low-privilege accounts have access to log onto the system (check via 'net user' or Active Directory users and computers if domain-joined)Affected if Local or domain users can authenticate to the machine, as the attacker needs local authentication to exploit this flaw
-
Check for recent security updatesRun 'powershell Get-HotFix | Where-Object {$_.Description -like "Security*"} | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending | Select-Object -First 10' to list recently installed security patchesAffected if No recent security update addressing the Windows Search Component is installed, or the last patch predates the CVE release date
Your environment is affected if you run any of the listed Windows versions/builds with the Windows Search service enabled and lack the specific security update for this CVE.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped10.0.14393.906010.0.17763.864410.0.19044.7184
Apply the appropriate Microsoft security update for the Windows Search Component to address the use-after-free vulnerability; prioritize patching systems with local user access given the privilege escalation risk.
Windows 10 1607: build 10.0.14393.9060 | Windows 10 1809: build 10.0.17763.8644 | Windows 10 21h2: build 10.0.19044.7184 | Windows 10 22h2: build 10.0.19045.7184 | Windows 11 23h2: build 10.0.22631.6936 | Windows 11 24h2: build 10.0.26100.8246 | Windows 11 25h2: build 10.0.26200.8246 | Windows 11 26
- Identify the current Windows version and build number by running 'winver' or 'systeminfo' in Command Prompt
- Determine which Windows version category your system falls under (Windows 10 1607, 1809, 21h2, 22h2, or Windows 11 23h2, 24h2, 25h2, 26h1)
- Open Windows Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update
- Click 'Check for updates' to download and install the latest security updates for your specific Windows version
- Alternatively, manually download and install the appropriate security update from the Microsoft Update Catalog for your Windows version and build
- Restart the computer when prompted to complete the installation
- Verify the installed build number matches or exceeds the fixed version for your Windows release
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-27909 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-27909 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data