Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessDeliver crafted PowerPoint file via email/web
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ExploitUser opens malicious presentation
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ExecutionTrigger heap buffer overflow in parser
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ImpactExecute arbitrary code in user context
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Heap buffer bounds checking
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Execution The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires a user to open an attacker-crafted PowerPoint presentation (UI:R) delivered out-of-band via email, chat, or a web download - there is no exposed network service to attack directly. The AC:H metric indicates additional attacker-side prerequisites beyond simply sending the file, such as achieving a specific heap memory layout to make the CWE-122 overflow reliably exploitable, which reduces real-world reliability. Code executes with the privileges of the opening user, and Protected View / Mark-of-the-Web sandboxing on files from untrusted sources is a practical mitigating factor. Affected products include Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, Office LTSC 2021/2024, and Office/Office LTSC for Mac 2021/2024; default-configuration PowerPoint on these versions is exposed, so the main limiting factors are the required user interaction and the high attack complexity. |
| Impact | This is a genuine but second-tier priority. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, base 7.5 HIGH) describes an unauthenticated, network-delivered remote code execution with full C/I/A impact, but two metrics materially blunt real-world risk: AC:H indicates the attacker must satisfy non-trivial conditions (e.g. heap grooming or specific memory layout) that are not reliably controllable, and UI:R means a human must open the crafted file - this is not a wormable, zero-click flaw. No EPSS score, KEV listing, or public POC is present in the provided intelligence, so there is no evidence of active or imminent exploitation; the signals are therefore consistent and non-conflicting (high theoretical impact, meaningful practical friction). The one cross-source note worth flagging: the description phrase 'execute code over a network' is Microsoft's standard wording for file-delivered Office RCE rather than a listening network service - AV:N here reflects email/web delivery of a malicious document, not direct remote service exploitation; defenders should read it as such. Net: patch on the normal Patch-Tuesday cadence and prioritize endpoints that open untrusted presentations, but this does not warrant emergency out-of-band response absent new exploitation evidence. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker emails or hosts a specially crafted PowerPoint presentation and lures a user into opening it; parsing the malformed object triggers a heap-based buffer overflow (CWE-122) that corrupts memory and leads to arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Because CVSS specifies UI:R and AC:H, successful exploitation depends on the victim opening the file and on the attacker reliably achieving the required heap state. No public exploit code is identified in the provided data. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 13, 2026
A heap-based buffer overflow in Microsoft PowerPoint allows an unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code in the security context of a user who opens a specially crafted presentation file, with impact rated to confidentiality, integrity, and availability all High. Affected builds include Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, Office LTSC 2021 and LTSC 2024 for Windows, and Office 365 / Office LTSC 2021 and 2024 for Mac; exploitation requires the victim to open the malicious file (UI:R) delivered out-of-band via email, chat, or web download, and the high attack complexity metric reflects additional attacker-side prerequisites such as winning a specific heap memory layout. No public exploit code and no confirmed active exploitation were identified at time of analysis, and the practical limits on exploitation remain the required user interaction plus Protected View and Mark-of-the-Web protections applied to files from untrusted sources.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patches are available through Microsoft; apply the current Office security update for your channel per the MSRC Update Guide at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-88207, which is the primary and recommended fix. For Windows installations, Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise should be brought fully current via the Office Security Releases channel (https://aka.ms/OfficeSecurityReleases), Office LTSC 2021 should be updated to 16.0.14334.20974 or later, and Office LTSC 2024 to 16.0.17932.21056 or later; Mac installations of Office 365, Office LTSC for Mac 2021, and Office LTSC for Mac 2024 should be updated to the latest published build for their channel since the advisory references the publication entry rather than a discrete fixed build. Where immediate patching is not possible, specific compensating controls are: ensure Protected View and Mark-of-the-Web enforcement remain enabled for files originating from the internet, email attachments, and untrusted locations (this blocks the trigger path but can break legitimate macro- or data-linked documents if users routinely open such files and may be bypassed if users click 'Enable Editing'); strip or block PowerPoint attachments (.ppt, .pptx, .pps, .ppsx) at the email gateway and chat/file-sharing ingress (effective against the delivery vector but requires an exception process for business-critical presentations); enable the Microsoft Defender Attack Surface Reduction rules 'Block Office applications from creating child processes' and 'Block Office applications from injecting code into other processes' (disrupts common post-exploitation behavior but may break legitimate add-ins and automation); and enforce least privilege so interactive users are not local administrators, which limits the value of code execution at the user's privilege level but does not prevent the initial compromise. Disabling PowerPoint entirely is not a proportionate control for a vulnerability that requires user-initiated file opening.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 2 packages in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
The defect is a heap-based buffer overflow (CWE-122) in the PowerPoint file-parsing code path, meaning a length or bounds assumption about a heap-allocated buffer is violated when processing a malformed presentation object. Because the corruption occurs on the heap rather than the stack, reliable code execution typically requires the attacker to shape a deterministic heap layout and control the resulting allocation/free pattern around the overflow, which is consistent with the AC:H metric in the CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H vector - the network vector describes file delivery, not an exposed service, and there is no unauthenticated server-side attack surface in PowerPoint itself. Exploitation succeeds only after a user opens the document, so the code runs at that user's privilege level and is subject to Office mitigations such as Protected View, Application Guard, and Mark-of-the-Web zone enforcement. The affected component family spans the Windows desktop builds tracked in the EUVD data (Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise 16.0.1 branch, Office LTSC 2021 before 16.0.14334.20974, Office LTSC 2024 before 16.0.17932.21056) and the Mac builds (Office 365 for Mac, Office LTSC for Mac 2021 and 2024, version 16.0.0/16.0.1 branches). Vendor coordination is attributed to secure@microsoft.com and the authoritative advisory is the MSRC Update Guide entry for CVE-2026-88207.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
File is network-delivered (AV:N) with no prior auth (PR:N) but needs victim to open it (UI:R) and reliable heap grooming (AC:H), yielding full user-context C/I/A impact.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Heap-based buffer overflow in Microsoft Office PowerPoint allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.
Executive ViewAI
A high-severity code execution vulnerability in Microsoft PowerPoint affects Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, Office LTSC 2021, and Office LTSC 2024 on Windows and Mac. A user who opens a crafted presentation could allow an attacker to run code on that user's system, risking data compromise and malware propagation. Patch available per vendor advisory, and no public exploit identified at time of analysis, but the widespread use of PowerPoint means leadership should ensure patching is prioritized.
Apply vendor patch.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
A buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a memory buffer than it was allocated to hold, causing the excess data to spill into adjacent memory regions.
A heap overflow occurs when a program writes data beyond the bounds of a buffer allocated in the heap memory region.
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EUVD-2026-100190
GHSA-9ff6-c5hv-98c2
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB