Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-36884

Race Condition in Microsoft Windows 10 1809 ≤ 10.0.17763.4737

CISA KEVActive ExploitationEUVD ExploitedRansomware-linkedRace Condition
Published
11 July 2023
Modified
10 August 2026
KEV Added
17 July 2023
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 7.5
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.99 99.9th percentile
Risk Priority 82 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-36884 is a high-severity Race Condition (CWE-362) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 10 1809. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked in the top 0.1% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2023-36884 is a remote code execution vulnerability in the Windows Search component, assigned CWE-362 for a race condition weakness. It carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.5 reflecting network attack vector, high attack complexity, no required privileges, and required user interaction, with high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit the flaw over a network connection to execute arbitrary code on the target system, provided the victim performs a specific user action that triggers the race condition in Windows Search.

Microsoft security updates address the issue through the MSRC advisory, while CISA lists the CVE in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, indicating federal agencies must apply mitigations.

The vulnerability shows a high EPSS score with a current value of 0.9297 and a peak of 0.9325, and confirmed real-world exploitation activity has been observed.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Windows Search Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

CWE(s)
KEV Date Added
17 July 2023

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2022-26904Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507both on KEV
CVE-2023-28232Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2023-35361Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2024-38191Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1607
CVE-2024-49124Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2025-55226Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2024-49084Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2025-49762Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2025-59205Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2023-36405Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1607

Affected Assets

microsoft
windows 10 1507
≤ 10.0.10240.20107
microsoft
windows 10 1607
≤ 10.0.14393.6167 · ≤ 10.0.14393.6167
microsoft
windows 10 1809
≤ 10.0.17763.4737 · ≤ 10.0.17763.4737 · ≤ 10.0.17763.4737
microsoft
windows 10 21h2
≤ 10.0.19044.3324
microsoft
windows 10 22h2
≤ 10.0.19044.3324
microsoft
windows 11 21h2
≤ 10.0.22000.2295
microsoft
windows 11 22h2
≤ 10.0.22621.2134
microsoft
windows server 2008
all versions, r2
microsoft
windows server 2012
all versions, r2
microsoft
windows server 2016
≤ 10.0.14393.6167
+2 more product configuration(s) — see NVD for full list

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V10.4.2
  • V10.4.5
  • V15.1.3
  • V15.4.1

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-362

Accurate timestamps from internal clocks enable detection of race conditions by providing reliable event ordering in audit logs.

addresses: CWE-362

Coordination of concurrent security activities reduces the probability that shared resources will be accessed simultaneously without proper synchronization.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly require proper synchronization primitives and concurrency testing that prevent race conditions.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

finds

Security testing can detect race conditions, but does not prevent them at design or coding time.

prevents

Secure SDLC mandates concurrency controls and synchronization primitives that directly prevent race conditions.

prevents

Application security requirements can specify thread-safety and locking rules, but do not prescribe implementation details.

prevents

Secure architecture principles require proper synchronization and resource isolation, addressing the root cause of CWE-362.

prevents

Secure coding standards explicitly forbid unsafe concurrent access patterns and mandate atomic operations or locks.

none

Change management reduces introduction of concurrency bugs during updates, yet does not address the weakness itself.

References