Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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ReconCraft malicious PowerPoint document
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DeliveryDeliver via phishing/watering hole
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ExploitUser opens file in vulnerable PowerPoint
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InstallTrigger use-after-free during parsing
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C2Hijack execution flow
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ExecuteExecute arbitrary payload with user privileges
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ImpactEstablish persistence or lateral movement
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Memory lifecycle management
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Execution, Privilege Escalation The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | The victim must open a crafted PowerPoint file (.pptx, .ppt, or related format) in Microsoft Office PowerPoint. A local attacker or remote attacker who can deliver the malicious file can trigger the use-after-free vulnerability during file parsing, leading to local code execution. |
| Impact | Real-world risk is moderate-to-high with important contextual limitations. The CVSS score of 7.8 reflects high technical impact (complete confidentiality, integrity, and availability compromise) but requires local access (AV:L) and user interaction (UI:R). Attack complexity is low (AC:L) and requires no privileges (PR:N), meaning any user who can be social-engineered into opening a malicious file is vulnerable. EPSS data not provided, but typical use-after-free vulnerabilities in widely-deployed office software attract attacker interest due to prevalence in enterprise environments. No CISA KEV listing indicates no confirmed active exploitation campaigns at analysis time. No public proof-of-concept code identified, reducing immediate automated exploitation risk. However, Microsoft Office remains a high-value target for espionage and ransomware operators who routinely weaponize document-based vulnerabilities. The requirement for user interaction (opening a malicious file) makes this primarily a phishing/social engineering vector rather than a wormable network threat. Organizations using affected PowerPoint versions face tangible risk from targeted attacks, particularly via email attachments or malicious downloads. Patch availability from Microsoft mitigates risk significantly for organizations with effective patch management, but the wide deployment footprint of Office products means vulnerable instances will persist in environments with slower update cycles. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker crafts a malicious PowerPoint file containing specially formatted objects that trigger use-after-free conditions during document parsing. The attacker delivers this file via phishing email, malicious website download, or compromised shared network drive. When the victim opens the document in a vulnerable PowerPoint version, the parser attempts to access freed memory, allowing the attacker to execute arbitrary code with the victim's privileges, potentially leading to malware installation, credential theft, or lateral movement within the network. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Apr 14, 2026
Use-after-free memory corruption in Microsoft PowerPoint (versions 2016, 2019, LTSC 2021, LTSC 2024, and Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise) enables local code execution when users open malicious files. An attacker with no privileges can achieve full system compromise (high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact) by convincing a user to open a crafted PowerPoint document. Vendor patch available via Microsoft Security Response Center. No public exploit code or confirmed active exploitation (CISA KEV) identified at time of analysis, though CVSS 7.8 rating reflects high severity for local attack scenarios.
RemediationAI
Apply vendor-released security updates immediately via Microsoft Update, Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), or Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager. For PowerPoint 2016, upgrade to version 16.0.5548.1001 or later. For Office 2019, Office LTSC 2021, Office LTSC 2024, and Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, install the latest security updates per guidance at https://aka.ms/OfficeSecurityReleases. Full remediation details and patch download links available at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-32200. As interim risk mitigation before patching, implement email attachment filtering to block unsolicited PowerPoint files, educate users to avoid opening PowerPoint documents from untrusted sources, enable Microsoft Office Protected View to open untrusted documents in read-only sandboxed mode, and consider application whitelisting controls to restrict PowerPoint execution to trusted file locations. Monitor for suspicious PowerPoint process behavior using endpoint detection and response tools.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 7 packages in microsoft, euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
This vulnerability exploits a use-after-free condition (CWE-416) in PowerPoint's document parsing engine. Use-after-free occurs when the application continues to use a memory pointer after the memory has been freed, allowing attackers to manipulate freed memory regions and redirect program execution flow. The affected products span multiple Microsoft Office product lines: PowerPoint 2016 (versions before 16.0.5548.1001), Office 2019 (19.0.0 and later requiring patch), Office LTSC 2021 and 2024 (16.0.0+ requiring patch), and Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise (16.0.1+ requiring patch). The memory corruption occurs during local file processing, requiring the attacker to deliver a malicious .pptx or similar document format that triggers the dangling pointer dereference during parsing or rendering operations. This class of vulnerability is particularly dangerous in document processors because complex file format parsing creates numerous opportunities for memory management errors.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Use after free in Microsoft Office PowerPoint allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code locally.
Executive ViewAI
A use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft PowerPoint (2016, 2019, LTSC 2021, LTSC 2024, and Microsoft 365 Apps) allows attackers to execute arbitrary code on user machines by distributing malicious presentation files, potentially compromising sensitive data and system integrity across your organization. This threat requires immediate patching as it can be triggered by social engineering without requiring user privilege escalation, making it a significant risk to any workforce using PowerPoint.
Apply vendor patch. If immediate patching is delayed: restrict PowerPoint file opening to trusted sources only; disable automatic file execution in Outlook and file-sharing platforms; enable Attack Surface Reduction rules to block Office applications from creating child processes; require users to open PowerPoint files in Protected View.
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
Use-after-free vulnerabilities occur when a program continues to access memory through a pointer after that memory has been deallocated.
Memory corruption occurs when a program writes data beyond the boundaries of allocated memory regions or accesses memory in unintended ways, violating the integrity of the process's address space.
Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.
Local code execution in Microsoft Word (and Office/SharePoint components that render Word content) stems from an integer
Arbitrary code execution in Microsoft Office Word (and the broader Office/365/SharePoint family) arises from a stack-bas
Local code execution in Microsoft Word (part of Microsoft 365 Apps, Office 2019, Office LTSC 2021/2024, and Office for M
Arbitrary code execution in Microsoft PowerPoint (and the broader Microsoft Office/365 suite on Windows and macOS) arise
Local code execution in Microsoft Office PowerPoint (including Microsoft 365 Apps, Office 2019, Office LTSC 2021/2024, a
Local code execution in Microsoft Office PowerPoint (CWE-122 heap-based buffer overflow) lets an unauthorized attacker r
Local code execution in Microsoft Word (and the wider Microsoft Office / Microsoft 365 Apps family) lets an unauthorized
Local code execution in Microsoft Word (Office 2016/2019, Microsoft 365 Apps, Office LTSC 2021/2024) arises from a heap-
Local code execution in Microsoft Office Word (CWE-416 use-after-free) allows an unauthorized attacker to run arbitrary
Local code execution in Microsoft Office Word (Microsoft 365 Apps, Office 2019/LTSC 2021/2024, Word 2016, and the macOS
Local code execution in Microsoft Office Word (via a stack-based buffer overflow, CWE-121) lets an attacker run arbitrar
Local code execution in Microsoft Office Word (across Microsoft 365 Apps, Office 2019/LTSC 2021/2024, Office for Mac, an
EUVD-2026-22585
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
GitHub PoC
Exploit-DB