EUVD-2026-35652
GHSA-q9cq-rj77-7rpr
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
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Untrusted pointer dereference in Microsoft Office Word allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code locally.
AnalysisAI
Local code execution in Microsoft Office Word is possible when a user opens a maliciously crafted document that triggers an untrusted pointer dereference (CWE-416 use-after-free). The flaw lets an unauthorized attacker execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user, and no public exploit identified at time of analysis. Risk hinges on user interaction (UI:R), making phishing-style document delivery the realistic attack pathway.
Technical ContextAI
The vulnerability resides in Microsoft Office Word's document parsing/rendering logic and is classified as CWE-416 (Use After Free), although the description frames it as an 'untrusted pointer dereference.' This pattern typically occurs when Word handles a complex embedded object, OLE structure, or RTF/DOCX element whose lifetime is managed incorrectly, leaving a dangling pointer that the application later dereferences. Because Word runs in a rich, plugin-extensible Office process with broad filesystem and network access, control over freed-memory contents can be coerced into arbitrary code execution within the user's session. The supplied tags ('Use After Free', 'Memory Corruption') corroborate the CWE classification, while 'Authentication Bypass' is atypical for a local memory-corruption issue and likely reflects Microsoft's generic tag taxonomy rather than a true auth-bypass primitive. No CPE strings were supplied in the input, so the exact affected Word/Office SKUs must be confirmed against the MSRC advisory.
RemediationAI
Apply the Microsoft security update referenced in the MSRC advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-45486 as the primary fix; exact patched build numbers are not included in the supplied data and must be taken from that advisory (patch available per vendor advisory). Until patches are deployed, configure Microsoft Office to open documents from the internet in Protected View and block Office files originating from email or web download via Attack Surface Reduction rules and the 'Block Office applications from creating child processes' policy, accepting the trade-off that some legitimate macro- or template-driven workflows may break. Enforce 'Mark of the Web' propagation so that downloaded DOC/DOCX/RTF files are treated as untrusted, and consider blocking inbound RTF at the email gateway if RTF parsing is implicated, recognizing this will impact legitimate RTF correspondence. Restrict execution of Office applications under sensitive accounts (admins, service identities) and ensure EDR is tuned to flag anomalous winword.exe child processes.
Microsoft Outlook Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotel
Microsoft Excel Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authenti
Microsoft Publisher Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.3), this vulnerability is low att
Microsoft Office contains a security feature bypass (CVE-2026-21509, CVSS 7.8) where reliance on untrusted inputs in sec
Microsoft Office Word contains a security decision bypass (CVE-2026-21514, CVSS 7.8) through reliance on untrusted input
Microsoft Office Access Connectivity Engine Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vu
Microsoft Office Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentic
Microsoft Excel Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentica
Use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft Office Word that allows local, unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary
Microsoft Excel Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely expl
Microsoft Office Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack
A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Microsoft Excel software when the software fails to properly handle obje
Same weakness CWE-416 – Use After Free
View allSame technique Authentication Bypass
View allShare
External POC / Exploit Code
Leaving vuln.today