Windows Host Guardian Service contains a stack‑based buffer overflow that allows an attacker to force the service to stop. The official description notes that the denial occurs over a network, indicating that an unauthenticated network connection can trigger the fault. The overflow does not appear to require local or privileged access, so an attacker could disrupt the availability of the host‑guarding service without additional compromise.

Affected releases are Microsoft Windows 10 version 1607, Windows 10 version 1809, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2016 (Server Core), Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2019 (Server Core), Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2025, and Windows Server 2025 (Server Core).

The CVSS score of 7.5 classifies the vulnerability as high severity. An EPSS score of 1 % indicates a low but non‑zero exploitation probability, and the flaw is not currently listed in CISA’s KEV catalog. Based on the description and typical WHGS deployment, an attacker likely needs a remote connection to the WHGS endpoint to trigger the overflow; the impact is a denial of service of the host guarding service itself, potentially cascading to virtual machines that rely on it. No privilege escalation is required, and the attack surface appears limited to the WHGS network exposure.