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Microsoft Excel EUVDEUVD-2026-100288

| CVE-2026-97773 HIGH
Heap-based Buffer Overflow (CWE-122)
2026-10-13 secure@microsoft.com GHSA-4hcp-hgjp-r2pf
8.8
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: microsoft
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Deliver crafted .xlsx via email or web link
  2. Delivery
    Victim opens file in Excel
  3. Exploit
    Trigger heap buffer overflow in parser
  4. Execution
    Execute arbitrary code as user
  5. Impact
    Establish foothold on host

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 the victim to open an attacker-supplied, maliciously crafted Excel file (UI:R in the CVSS vector) - delivered over the network via email attachment, download, or shared link - in an affected Office build. No authentication or prior access is needed (PR:N, unauthorized attacker), and attack complexity is low (AC:L), so no special target-side configuration is required beyond a vulnerable Excel version. The single meaningful limiting factor is the mandatory user interaction of opening the document; Protected View / Mark-of-the-Web sandboxing and user wariness of untrusted files reduce real-world exploitability. Affected scope spans Office Online Server (<16.0.10417.20228), Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, Office LTSC 2021 (<16.0.14334.20974) and LTSC 2024 (<16.0.17932.21056), plus Office LTSC for Mac 2021/2024 and Office 365 for Mac.

Impact

This is a credible high-priority issue. The provided CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, base 8.8) describes a network-reachable, low-complexity, unauthenticated code-execution flaw whose only gating factor is user interaction (UI:R) - the canonical profile of a malicious-document attack against Microsoft Office Excel. A patch is confirmed available from the vendor (Microsoft, via MSRC), which raises urgency because the fix itself discloses the defect to reverse-engineers. No EPSS score, CISA KEV listing, SSVC decision data, or public POC was supplied in the input, so there is NO evidence of active exploitation and NO confirmation that weaponized code circulates - exploitation status must be read as 'no public exploit identified at time of analysis.' The risk therefore rests on the inherent severity (memory-corruption RCE in an extremely widely deployed product) rather than on observed exploitation. Office heap-overflow RCEs of this class are historically attractive to phishing and espionage actors once patches are analyzed, so treat as prioritize-for-patching despite the absence of exploitation telemetry. No internal conflict exists in the data: the description ('execute code over a network', 'unauthorized attacker') is consistent with AV:N/PR:N, and UI:R aligns with a file-open delivery model.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker emails or hosts a specially crafted Excel spreadsheet; when a victim opens it, parsing of the malformed content triggers a heap-based buffer overflow (CWE-122) that corrupts memory and executes attacker-controlled code in the context of the user. Because PR:N and the attacker is unauthorized, no credentials are needed - only that the target opens the file (UI:R). No public proof-of-concept was identified in the provided data.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.7% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 13, 2026

Heap-based buffer overflow in Microsoft Excel enables remote, unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of the logged-on user when the victim opens a maliciously crafted Excel document. Per the assessed CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R vector, no credentials or prior access are required and attack complexity is low, with the only meaningful barrier being the mandatory user interaction of opening the file; Microsoft rates this 8.8 High, and a vendor patch is available from Microsoft (MSRC update guide for CVE-2026-97773). There is no confirmed active exploitation (not in CISA KEV) and no public exploit code identified at time of analysis, but the broad install base of Microsoft 365 Apps and Office LTSC makes prompt patching important. This is a credible high-priority issue.

RemediationAI

Apply the vendor patch. Microsoft has released fixes referenced through the MSRC update guide at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-97773: Office Online Server 16.0.10417.20228, Office LTSC 2021 16.0.14334.20974, and Office LTSC 2024 16.0.17932.21056 are the vendor-published fixed builds for those products, while Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise and the Office for Mac products (LTSC for Mac 2021/2024 and Office 365 for Mac) are patched through Microsoft's service channels - Microsoft 365 Apps should be updated via the Office Security Releases page at https://aka.ms/OfficeSecurityReleases and Mac clients via Microsoft AutoUpdate, with the exact patched build published by the vendor. Deploy these updates with priority and confirm build numbers after installation, since Office can remain on a cached older build if updates are deferred. Until patching completes, reduce exposure with the following specific controls, each with trade-offs: keep Protected View and Mark-of-the-Web enabled for files from the internet and email attachments (this blocks the typical delivery path but users can click "Enable Editing", so pair it with awareness training); configure email gateways and web proxies to strip or quarantine untrusted spreadsheet attachments (effective against email and download lures, but breaks legitimate business workflows and can be bypassed by file-sharing links); apply Windows Attack Surface Reduction rules that block Office child processes and Office-executed content (reduces post-exploitation payload execution, though it can interfere with legitimate add-ins and macros); and run Excel with least privilege, ideally using a restricted or containerized environment for opening documents from untrusted sources (limits blast radius but adds operational friction). Given the mandatory user-interaction precondition, user reporting of unexpected documents alongside these technical controls meaningfully lowers risk.

Affected VersionsENISA

Office Online Server 16.0.0.0 <16.0.10417.20228
Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise 16.0.1 <https://aka.ms/OfficeSecurityReleases
Microsoft Office LTSC for Mac 2024 16.0.0 <publication
Microsoft Office LTSC 2021 16.0.1 <16.0.14334.20974
Microsoft Office 365 for Mac 1.0.0 <publication
Microsoft Office LTSC 2024 16.0.0 <16.0.17932.21056
Microsoft Office LTSC for Mac 2021 16.0.1 <publication

Affected Packages

euvd microsoft_office_ltsc_2021 fix: 16.0.14334.20974
euvd microsoft_office_ltsc_2024 fix: 16.0.17932.21056
euvd office_online_server fix: 16.0.10417.20228

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 3 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 root cause is CWE-122, a heap-based buffer overflow, occurring during Excel's parsing of a crafted spreadsheet file (e.g., .xlsx/.xls content and associated embedded structures). Rather than validating the declared size of an object allocated on the heap, the affected Office code writes beyond the allocated buffer, corrupting adjacent heap metadata and in-process data; successful corruption can be shaped into controlled memory writes and, ultimately, arbitrary code execution inside the Excel process. Because the vulnerable code runs in the context of the opening user, an exploit inherits that user's privileges and can reach anything the user can, including files, network shares, and stored credentials. The CVSS vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H describes an unauthenticated, network-delivered attack with low complexity that requires only that the target user opens the malicious document; there is no scope change, so impact is confined to the security authority of the Excel process. Affected product families identified by the available product data include Office Online Server, Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, Office LTSC 2021 and LTSC 2024 on Windows, and Office LTSC for Mac 2021/2024 and Office 365 for Mac, meaning the vulnerable parsing stack is shared across the desktop, subscription, and server-side rendering products. ENISA EUVD tracks this as EUVD-2026-100288.

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Severity by source

Vendor (microsoft) PRIMARY 8.8 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 8.8 HIGH

Malicious-file RCE delivered over the network needs no auth (PR:N) but requires the victim to open the document (UI:R); low complexity and full code execution yield C:H/I:H/A:H.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).

CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
Oct 13, 2026 - 20:20 EUVD
CVE Published
Oct 13, 2026 - 19:22 cve.org
HIGH 8.8

DescriptionCVE.org

Heap-based buffer overflow in Microsoft Office Excel allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

A high-severity memory corruption flaw in Microsoft Excel allows an attacker to run arbitrary code on a victim's workstation with that user's privileges simply by getting them to open a crafted spreadsheet, putting Microsoft 365 Apps and Office LTSC users across the organization at risk. Because the affected software is deployed on nearly every endpoint and a single opened attachment is enough to trigger compromise, this poses a realistic path to malware deployment, data theft, or lateral movement despite the requirement for user interaction. Leadership should treat prompt, organization-wide patching as the priority, since a vendor fix is already available.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.7%
Top 47% exploitable
Prevalence
Ubiquitous
Microsoft Office Excel is deployed across the vast majority of enterprise environments
Vendor Status
Publicly Disclosed:No
Exploited:No
Latest Software Release:Exploitation Less Likely
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

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.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.7%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

45
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: +1
CVSS: +44
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

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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