CVE-2026-88160

7.0High

Published 13 Oct 2026 · NVD status: Undergoing Analysis · AI triage by gemini-3.8-flash

7.0High

Attack vector: Local
Complexity: High
Privileges needed: Low
User interaction: None
Impact: Full C/I/A compromise
Weakness: CWE-362

Impact

A local, low-privileged attacker can gain elevated privileges on the system. They must already have local authenticated access to execute the race condition.

Root cause

A race condition exists in the Windows Search Component due to concurrent execution with improper synchronization across shared resources.

Affected systems

Versions not listed — check the vendor advisory.

CVSS v3.1 · CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Fix & remediation

Install the official security update from the Microsoft Security Update Guide advisory; as an interim workaround, disable the Windows Search service (WSearch) if patching cannot be done immediately.

shell

$ Stop-Service -Name WSearch -PassThru | Set-Service -StartupType Disabled

AI-suggested. Run it in staging first and check it against the vendor advisory. Why?

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NVD description

Concurrent execution using shared resource with improper synchronization ('race condition') in Microsoft Windows Search Component allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

References

https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-88160

Source: nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-88160