The vulnerability is a classic use‑after‑free flaw in the Windows Search component. When the component frees memory that is still referenced, an attacker with local authorized access can manipulate execution to gain higher privilege rights. The impact is a local privilege escalation that could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, compromising confidentiality, integrity and availability of the system. The weakness is identified as CWE‑416: Use After Free.

Affected are Microsoft Windows operating systems including Windows 10 (versions 1607, 1809, 21H2, 22H2), Windows 11 (versions 23H2, 24H2, 25H2, 26H2, 26H1), and Windows Server 2012 R2, 2016, 2019, 2022 and 2025, in both full and Server Core installations.

The CVSS score for this flaw is 7.8, indicating a high impact. EPSS data is not available, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog, suggesting no indication of widespread exploitation. The attack vector is inferred to be local, requiring the attacker to have authorized local access to the affected system to trigger the use‑after‑free. No public exploit code is documented, but the nature of the flaw permits arbitrary code execution if successfully triggered.