Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessDeliver crafted .xlsx via phishing email
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DeliveryVictim opens workbook in Excel
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ExploitTrigger stack-based buffer overflow in parser
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ExecutionExecute arbitrary code as current user
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ImpactEstablish foothold on host
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Stack 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 a specially crafted Microsoft Excel workbook in a vulnerable Office build (UI:R); the malicious file triggers a stack-based buffer overflow during parsing. No authentication is required of the attacker (PR:N) and the file can be delivered remotely over a network (AV:N, e.g. email attachment or web download), but the attack cannot succeed without that user action - Protected View, Office hardening, or users declining to open untrusted attachments all limit real-world exploitation. Code executes only in the opening user's context (S:U), not with elevated privileges. Affected products include Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, Office LTSC 2021/2024 (fixed in 16.0.14334.20974 and 16.0.17932.21056 respectively), Office for Mac variants, and Office Online Server (fixed in 16.0.10417.20228). |
| Impact | This is a genuine high-priority vulnerability, though not a drop-everything emergency. The CVSS 8.8 (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) reflects network-deliverable code execution with low attack complexity and no privileges required, but it is gated by UI:R - the victim must open a malicious Excel file, which is the single most important mitigating factor. No EPSS score, KEV listing, or POC was provided in the input, so there is no evidence of active exploitation or public exploit code at this time - this is 'no public exploit identified at time of analysis.' That said, Office document-open memory-corruption bugs (stack-based buffer overflow, CWE-121) in Excel are a historically favored vector for phishing-driven initial access, so weaponization is plausible once details or patches are reverse-engineered. Net assessment: high real-world risk driven by Excel's ubiquity and the proven effectiveness of malicious-document phishing, tempered by the user-interaction requirement and the current absence of exploitation signals (EPSS/KEV/POC all missing from input, not confirmed absent in the wild). |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker emails or hosts a malicious Excel workbook (e.g. a fake invoice) that contains crafted data triggering a stack-based buffer overflow when parsed. When the victim opens the file in a vulnerable Office/Excel build, the overflow corrupts the stack and allows arbitrary code execution in the user's security context. No public exploit was identified in the provided data; attack complexity is low (AC:L) but exploitation requires the victim to open the file (UI:R). |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 13, 2026
Remote code execution in Microsoft Excel can be triggered by a stack-based buffer overflow when a victim opens a specially crafted workbook, allowing arbitrary code in the context of the opening user. Affected builds include Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, Office LTSC 2021/2024, Office for Mac variants, and Office Online Server; the attack is network-deliverable (AV:N) and requires no authentication (PR:N) but depends on user interaction (UI:R) to open the file. No public exploit code or confirmed active exploitation has been identified at time of analysis.
RemediationAI
Apply the vendor patches: update Office LTSC 2021 to 16.0.14334.20974 or later, Office LTSC 2024 to 16.0.17932.21056 or later, and Office Online Server to 16.0.10417.20228 or later; for Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, install the latest update from https://aka.ms/OfficeSecurityReleases. Mac versions are pending publication-check the MSRC advisory for updated builds. If patching is delayed, enforce Protected View for files from the internet (trade-off: may delay legitimate document opening), enable Attack Surface Reduction rules that block Office from creating child processes (trade-off: may break legitimate macros or add-ins), and restrict or block untrusted Excel attachments and downloads. No public exploit code is known, so prioritization should follow standard risk-based patch cycles rather than emergency response, per the independent assessment.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
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
This is a stack-based buffer overflow (CWE-121) in Microsoft Excel's workbook parsing engine. When Excel processes a crafted file, an unchecked length or boundary condition causes data to overwrite memory on the stack, potentially corrupting control-flow structures such as return addresses. An attacker who successfully exploits this can execute arbitrary code in the context of the user who opened the document, but cannot gain elevated privileges (S:U). The vulnerability affects multiple Office codebases: Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, Office LTSC 2021 and 2024 on Windows, Office for Mac (LTSC 2021/2024 and Office 365 for Mac), and Office Online Server. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) confirms remote network delivery with no authentication, low attack complexity, and required user interaction. Per the independent assessment, Protected View, Office hardening, and user caution reduce real-world exploitability.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Malicious file is delivered over the network (AV:N) and reliably triggers the overflow (AC:L) without attacker auth (PR:N), but needs the victim to open it (UI:R), yielding full user-context compromise (C/I/A:H).
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Stack-based buffer overflow in Microsoft Office Excel allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.
Executive ViewAI
A high-severity Microsoft Excel vulnerability could let an attacker execute code on an employee's device if they open a specially crafted workbook, affecting organizations that use Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, Office LTSC 2021/2024, Office for Mac, or Office Online Server. Although no public exploit identified at time of analysis, the broad business reliance on Excel makes this a material risk because successful exploitation could lead to data theft, unauthorized access, or lateral movement under the user's permissions. Leadership should prioritize rapid patching and user awareness to reduce exposure across finance, operations, and other Excel-heavy teams.
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 stack-based buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a buffer located on the stack than it was allocated to hold.
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EUVD-2026-100296
GHSA-5fgx-hcmp-hff2
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB