CVE-2025-59190 is a vulnerability identified in the Microsoft Windows 11 Version 25H2 Search Component, classified under CWE-20 for improper input validation. The flaw arises because the search component does not adequately validate input data, allowing an attacker with local access to supply crafted input that causes the component to malfunction. This malfunction results in a denial of service condition, typically by crashing the search service or exhausting system resources, thereby impacting system availability. The vulnerability requires the attacker to have local access and to interact with the system (e.g., triggering a search operation with malicious input), but does not require any privileges or authentication, making it accessible to any local user. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.5, reflecting a medium severity level, with the vector indicating local attack vector (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), user interaction required (UI:R), unchanged scope (S:U), no impact on confidentiality or integrity (C:N/I:N), but high impact on availability (A:H). No known exploits have been reported in the wild, and no official patches have been released at the time of this report. The vulnerability could be leveraged by malicious insiders or attackers who have gained limited local access to disrupt system operations by causing repeated crashes or resource depletion of the Windows Search service.

For European organizations, this vulnerability primarily threatens system availability, potentially causing denial of service on affected Windows 11 25H2 machines. This could disrupt user productivity, especially in environments heavily reliant on Windows Search for file indexing and retrieval. Critical sectors such as finance, healthcare, government, and manufacturing could experience operational delays or interruptions if attackers exploit this flaw locally. Although the attack requires local access and user interaction, the risk is elevated in shared or multi-user environments, such as corporate offices or public terminals, where unauthorized users might trigger the vulnerability. Since confidentiality and integrity are not impacted, data breaches or corruption are not direct concerns. However, repeated denial of service events could lead to increased support costs and potential downtime, affecting business continuity and service availability. The absence of known exploits and patches currently limits immediate risk, but organizations should prepare for potential exploitation attempts once the vulnerability becomes more widely known.

To mitigate CVE-2025-59190, European organizations should implement strict local access controls to limit who can interact with Windows 11 25H2 systems, especially in shared or public environments. Employ endpoint security solutions to monitor and alert on abnormal behavior related to the Windows Search service, such as crashes or high resource usage. Educate users about the risks of interacting with untrusted input or running unknown scripts that might trigger the vulnerability. Disable or restrict the Windows Search service on systems where it is not essential, reducing the attack surface. Maintain up-to-date backups and ensure rapid incident response capabilities to recover from potential denial of service events. Monitor Microsoft security advisories closely and apply patches or updates as soon as they become available. Consider deploying application whitelisting and privilege management to prevent unauthorized execution of code that could exploit this vulnerability. Finally, conduct regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing to identify and remediate local privilege escalation or access control weaknesses that could facilitate exploitation.