# CVE-2026-70173: Microsoft Windows Search Component out-of-bounds read

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-70173-out-of-bounds-read-in-microsoft-windows-search-component-allows  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-10-13. Updated: 2026-10-16  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-70173 · Severity: medium · CVSS 5.5 · Published 2026-10-13

Windows Search is a built-in Windows component that indexes and searches files on a user's computer. An authorized attacker with local access could read sensitive data from memory outside the bounds of an allocated buffer, potentially exposing confidential information stored on the system.

Technologies: [Microsoft Windows Search](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/windows-search). Vendors: [Microsoft](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/microsoft).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-70173 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-70173 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-70173?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 5.5, published 13 October 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Microsoft Windows Search.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-70173?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2026-70173 attacked?** It is attacked with local access, in an operating system.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-70173?** Check whether you run Microsoft Windows Search. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

An out-of-bounds read vulnerability in the Windows Search Component permits an authenticated local attacker to read memory beyond intended buffer boundaries. The vulnerability requires prior local access and valid user authentication, but no user interaction. Exploitation allows disclosure of sensitive information resident in process memory.

## Affected products

- Microsoft Windows Search

## Timeline

- 2026-10-13: disclosed

## References

- [https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-70173](https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-70173)

## Related threats

- [Microsoft Windows Search use-after-free privilege escalation](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-69911-microsoft-windows-search-use-after-free-privilege-escalation)
- [Microsoft Windows Search Component absolute path traversal](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-68896-microsoft-windows-search-component-absolute-path-traversal)