Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessCraft malicious email message
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DeliveryDeliver to target Outlook mailbox
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ExploitTrigger heap overflow during message parsing
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ExecutionExecute arbitrary code in user context
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ImpactFull compromise of 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 target to run an affected Microsoft Office/Outlook build (Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise before the patched release, Office LTSC 2024 before 16.0.17932.21056, or Office LTSC 2021 before 16.0.14334.20974) and to receive an attacker-crafted email that Outlook parses. Per the vendor CVSS vector (PR:N/UI:N), no authentication and no explicit user click are required - consistent with Outlook's automatic message rendering/Preview Pane processing being the trigger. Limiting factors: the victim's Outlook must be updated to a vulnerable version and must receive/render the malicious message; applying the available vendor patch fully removes the condition, and disabling automatic preview/rendering would raise the effective interaction requirement. |
| Impact | This is a genuine high-priority vulnerability, not a high-CVSS/low-real-risk paper tiger. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N, C:H/I:H/A:H → 9.8) describes the most dangerous possible profile: network-reachable, low-complexity, no privileges, and - per the vendor-assigned vector - no user interaction, yielding full confidentiality, integrity, and availability compromise. The affected product (Microsoft Outlook / Office) is an extremely high-value, near-ubiquitous target historically favored for email-borne exploitation. Tempering this, several exploitation signals are ABSENT from the input: no EPSS score was provided, there is no CISA KEV listing, no POC availability indicator, and no SSVC decision data - so there is NO confirmation of active or imminent exploitation, only the theoretical severity of the flaw. One point warrants vendor verification: the vector asserts UI:N, yet Outlook heap-overflow RCEs are frequently triggered via email parsing/Preview Pane, which Microsoft conventionally rates as UI:N even though an email must still be received and auto-rendered - verify whether default Preview Pane behavior is the trigger. Net: treat as urgent-to-patch due to severity, product footprint, and a vendor patch already being available, while recognizing exploitation itself is currently unproven in the supplied data. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A remote attacker crafts a malicious email message that, when received and rendered by Outlook (e.g., via the Preview Pane per the UI:N rating), triggers a heap-based buffer overflow in Outlook's message-parsing code and executes attacker-controlled code in the user's context. No authentication or explicit victim click is indicated by the CVSS vector. No public exploit code is identified in the provided intelligence at time of analysis. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 13, 2026
Remote code execution in Microsoft Outlook allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code by sending a crafted email that triggers a heap-based buffer overflow when the message is parsed. Affected versions include Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, Office LTSC 2024 before 16.0.17932.21056, and Office LTSC 2021 before 16.0.14334.20974. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, but the vulnerability is high severity (CVSS 9.8) and requires no user interaction per the vendor vector, making it a serious risk for unpatched systems.
RemediationAI
Apply the vendor-released patches: upgrade Microsoft Office LTSC 2024 to version 16.0.17932.21056 or later, and Microsoft Office LTSC 2021 to version 16.0.14334.20974 or later. For Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, ensure the installation is updated to the latest build via the standard update channel (click-to-run updates automatically; see https://aka.ms/OfficeSecurityReleases). As a compensating control, disabling automatic preview or rendering (e.g., turning off the Preview Pane, reading email in plain text) would raise the effective interaction requirement but may impact usability and is not a full substitute for patching. The Microsoft advisory is at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-97016.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 2 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 vulnerability is a heap-based buffer overflow (CWE-122) in Microsoft Outlook's email parsing engine. When Outlook processes a specially crafted email, it can write beyond the bounds of a heap-allocated buffer, corrupting memory and potentially allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the Outlook process. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N) indicates that the attack is network-based, low complexity, requires no privileges, and no user interaction, which is consistent with automatic message rendering or Preview Pane processing. Affected builds are identified by the EUVD as Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, Office LTSC 2024 before 16.0.17932.21056, and Office LTSC 2021 before 16.0.14334.20974. The root cause class, CWE-122, highlights improper bounds checking on heap memory during message parsing.
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- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Network-delivered email parsing flaw needing no privileges; UI:N retained per vendor on the assumption of automatic Preview Pane rendering, yielding full code-execution impact.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Heap-based buffer overflow in Microsoft Office Outlook allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.
Executive ViewAI
Microsoft Outlook is affected by a critical remote code execution vulnerability (CVE-2026-97016) that can be triggered by a crafted email, putting endpoints and email-dependent business processes at risk. Although no public exploit identified at time of analysis, the severity and potential for broad impact across Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, Office LTSC 2024, and Office LTSC 2021 make timely remediation a leadership priority. Organizations should act to prevent potential unauthorized code execution and data compromise.
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 heap overflow occurs when a program writes data beyond the bounds of a buffer allocated in the heap memory region.
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EUVD-2026-99799
GHSA-cf52-mp5c-rw57
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB