# CVE-2016-3230: Windows Search Denial of Service Vulnerability

CVE-2016-3230 is fixed in 16 products on 1 platform, first by KB3163018, released June 14, 2016. It is not reported as exploited. Patch Radar priority: High.

- Web page: https://patchblox.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-3230
- Priority: High
- CVSS: n/a (Important)
- EPSS: 0.0272
- CISA KEV: not listed
- Exploited (vendor report): no
- Publicly disclosed: no
- Vendor exploitability assessment: Exploitation Unlikely
- Published: Jun 16, 2016
- Vendor advisory: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2016-3230

## Description

<p>This vulnerability occurs when the Windows Search component fails to properly handle certain objects in memory. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could cause server performance to degrade sufficiently to cause a denial of service condition.</p> <p>To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker could use it to cause a denial of service attack and disrupt server availability.</p> <p>The update addresses the vulnerability by correcting how the Windows Search component handles objects in memory.</p>

## Where it's fixed

| Platform | Product | Fixed in | Fix | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | Windows 10 Version 1511 for 32-bit Systems | 10586.420 | [KB3163018](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/microsoft/kb3163018.md) | Jun 14, 2016 |
| Microsoft | Windows 10 Version 1511 for x64-based Systems | 10586.420 | [KB3163018](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/microsoft/kb3163018.md) | Jun 14, 2016 |
| Microsoft | Windows 10 for 32-bit Systems | 10240.16942 | [KB3163017](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/microsoft/kb3163017.md) | Jun 14, 2016 |
| Microsoft | Windows 10 for x64-based Systems | 10240.16942 | [KB3163017](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/microsoft/kb3163017.md) | Jun 14, 2016 |
| Microsoft | Windows 7 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 1 |  | [KB3161958](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/microsoft/kb3161958.md) | Jun 16, 2016 |
| Microsoft | Windows 7 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 |  | [KB3161958](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/microsoft/kb3161958.md) | Jun 16, 2016 |
| Microsoft | Windows 8.1 for 32-bit systems |  | [KB3161958](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/microsoft/kb3161958.md) | Jun 16, 2016 |
| Microsoft | Windows 8.1 for x64-based systems |  | [KB3161958](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/microsoft/kb3161958.md) | Jun 16, 2016 |
| Microsoft | Windows RT 8.1 |  | [KB3161958](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/microsoft/kb3161958.md) | Jun 16, 2016 |
| Microsoft | Windows Server 2008 R2 for Itanium-Based Systems Service Pack 1 |  | [KB3161958](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/microsoft/kb3161958.md) | Jun 16, 2016 |
| Microsoft | Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 |  | [KB3161958](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/microsoft/kb3161958.md) | Jun 16, 2016 |
| Microsoft | Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 (Server Core installation) |  | [KB3161958](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/microsoft/kb3161958.md) | Jun 16, 2016 |
| Microsoft | Windows Server 2012 |  | [KB3161958](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/microsoft/kb3161958.md) | Jun 16, 2016 |
| Microsoft | Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation) |  | [KB3161958](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/microsoft/kb3161958.md) | Jun 16, 2016 |
| Microsoft | Windows Server 2012 R2 |  | [KB3161958](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/microsoft/kb3161958.md) | Jun 16, 2016 |
| Microsoft | Windows Server 2012 R2 (Server Core installation) |  | [KB3161958](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/microsoft/kb3161958.md) | Jun 16, 2016 |

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Data as of 2026-11-07T06:34:28Z UTC. Source: Patchblox Patch Radar (https://patchblox.com/security/patch-radar). Patchblox finds out-of-date software on Windows, macOS and Linux and updates it through release rings: https://patchblox.com/demo