Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local vector because file must be opened on device; no attacker privileges needed; user interaction mandatory; full impact triad consistent with arbitrary code execution.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
3DescriptionCVE.org
Heap-based buffer overflow in Microsoft Office Excel allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code locally.
AnalysisAI
Heap-based buffer overflow in Microsoft Office Excel enables local code execution when a user opens a specially crafted Excel file. An unauthenticated attacker (per CVSS PR:N) delivers a malicious document that triggers the overflow upon interaction (UI:R), achieving full confidentiality, integrity, and availability compromise on the victim system. No public exploit or KEV listing has been identified at time of analysis, though the attack pattern is well-understood and document-based Excel exploits have a long operational history.
Technical ContextAI
CWE-122 (Heap-based Buffer Overflow) describes the root cause: Excel's parsing code writes beyond an allocated heap buffer when processing a crafted file, corrupting adjacent heap metadata or data. This class of vulnerability in Office document parsers typically arises in format-specific parsers (XLS, XLSX, XLSB) that handle variable-length records without adequate bounds checking. The CVSS local attack vector (AV:L) confirms exploitation occurs on the local system, consistent with a file-open trigger rather than a network-reachable service. The affected CPE is inferred to be Microsoft Office Excel across versions addressed by the MSRC advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-68796.
RemediationAI
Apply the Microsoft security update addressing CVE-2026-68796 as documented in the MSRC update guide at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-68796. The exact patched build version is not confirmed in the available data - consult the advisory directly for the specific KB article and Office build number. As a compensating control pending patch deployment, configure email gateway and endpoint policies to block or sandbox unexpected Excel attachments (XLS, XLSX, XLSB, XLSM), and enable Microsoft Office Protected View and Attack Surface Reduction (ASR) rules that block Office applications from creating child processes. Note that Protected View can be bypassed by users who click 'Enable Editing', so it is a partial control. Mark-of-the-Web enforcement should also be verified so files downloaded from the internet open in Protected View by default.
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Same weakness CWE-122 – Heap-based Buffer Overflow
View allSame technique Buffer Overflow
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External POC / Exploit Code
Leaving vuln.today
EUVD-2026-56455
GHSA-3r5f-2f5q-hg58