CVE-2023-36884: Microsoft Windows Search Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Is it exploited?

Yes. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 17 Jul 2023, 6 days after the CVE record was published.

How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?

99.4%

EPSS score, percentile 99.9 of all scored records

How severe?

7.5 High

CVSS v3.1 base score, given by the CNA

What should I do?

CISA deadline 29 Aug 2023. Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

Advisories and patches (1)

Which versions are affected?

Affected

• from 10.0.10240.0 to before 10.0.10240.20107
• from 10.0.14393.0 to before 10.0.14393.6167
• from 10.0.17763.0 to before 10.0.17763.4737
• from 10.0.0 to before 10.0.17763.4737
• from 10.0.19044.0 to before 10.0.19044.3324
• from 10.0.19045.0 to before 10.0.19045.3324

and 14 more in the table below

Versions by product

Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

What to do

CISA due date for this action: 29 August 2023.

Advisories and patches

• Windows Search Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (Vendor advisory, Patch)

Linked from CISA's catalog entry

• https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2023-36884
• https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-36884

Affected products and versions

As listed in the CVE record.

Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

About this vulnerability

Microsoft Windows Search contains an unspecified vulnerability that could allow an attacker to evade Mark of the Web (MOTW) defenses via a specially crafted malicious file, leading to remote code execution.

Summary: CISA's KEV catalog, as of 28 Oct 2026.

• CISA added CVE-2023-36884 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 17 Jul 2023.
• CISA marks it as known to be used in ransomware campaigns.
• The due date CISA sets for the required action is 29 Aug 2023.
• The CVE record was published on 11 Jul 2023, 6 days before it was added to KEV.
• The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (High), given by its CNA.
• FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 99.4% (percentile 99.9), as of 28 Oct 2026.
• CISA's SSVC assessment in the CVE record: exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact total.

Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

Description

Windows Search Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Windows Search Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

Weakness

• CWE-362: Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')

CWE and CAPEC are maintained by MITRE; the entries are those named in the CVE record and the KEV entry.

Timeline

More exploited Microsoft vulnerabilities

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• CVE-2026-81963: Microsoft Windows Link Following Vulnerability (added 8 Sep 2026)
• CVE-2026-85880: Microsoft Windows Heap-Based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability (added 8 Sep 2026)
• CVE-2019-1068: Microsoft SQL Server Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (added 26 Aug 2026)
• CVE-2026-33824: Microsoft Internet Key Exchange (IKE) Service Extensions Double Free Vulnerability (added 18 Aug 2026)