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Microsoft OneNote EUVDEUVD-2026-99806

| CVE-2026-96997 HIGH
Use After Free (CWE-416)
2026-10-13 secure@microsoft.com GHSA-5pr9-h96m-v7v2
7.8
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: microsoft
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Obtain local low-privilege access
  2. Delivery
    Open crafted OneNote content
  3. Exploit
    Trigger use-after-free in OneNote
  4. Execution
    Corrupt memory for control
  5. Impact
    Execute code with elevated privileges

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

Requires the attacker to already have local, authenticated low-privilege access to a host running an affected Microsoft Office OneNote build (per EUVD: Office LTSC 2021 below 16.0.14334.20974, Office LTSC 2024 below 16.0.17932.21056, plus 365 Apps for Enterprise and the Mac/LTSC-for-Mac editions). Exploitation hinges on triggering a use-after-free in OneNote to gain code execution in a higher-privileged context; it is not remotely reachable (AV:L) and cannot be performed by an unauthenticated network attacker. Limiting factors: local access prerequisite, the PR:L authorization requirement, and the availability of a vendor patch - meaning fully updated installations are not exposed. No separate victim user interaction is required (UI:N).

Impact

This is a genuine patch-priority item but not an emergency. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) describes a local, low-privilege, low-complexity use-after-free (CWE-416) with full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact - a classic local elevation-of-privilege profile. The attacker must already be an authorized/authenticated local user (PR:L), which materially lowers urgency versus a remote unauthenticated flaw. No EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public POC are present in the provided data, so there is no evidence of active or imminent widespread exploitation: exploitation status is 'no public exploit identified at time of analysis.' Signals are internally consistent - the local vector and PR:L align with an EoP use case, and no conflicting remote-access language appears in the description. The main driver of real-world priority is the extreme deployment footprint of Microsoft Office/OneNote rather than ease or likelihood of exploitation; treat as a standard Patch-Tuesday-grade local EoP to remediate on the normal cycle, prioritized on multi-user or shared hosts where local EoP matters most.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A local authenticated user (or malware running in that user's context) opens or processes specially crafted OneNote content that triggers a use-after-free in Microsoft Office OneNote, corrupting memory to gain code execution at a higher privilege level. No user interaction by a separate victim is required (UI:N) and attack complexity is low (AC:L), but the attacker must already have local low-privilege access. No public proof-of-concept exploit is identified in the available data.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 13, 2026

Local privilege escalation in Microsoft OneNote stems from a use-after-free memory corruption flaw (CWE-416) that an authenticated attacker with low-privilege local access can trigger to execute code in a higher-privileged context. Affected builds include Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, Office LTSC 2021 before 16.0.14334.20974, Office LTSC 2024 before 16.0.17932.21056, and the corresponding Mac editions. No public exploit has been identified at time of analysis, and vendor patches are available; given the local access prerequisite and patch availability, this is a patch-priority item rather than an emergency.

RemediationAI

Vendor-released patch: upgrade Microsoft Office LTSC 2021 to 16.0.14334.20974 or later and Microsoft Office LTSC 2024 to 16.0.17932.21056 or later; for Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise and the Mac editions, apply the latest security updates delivered through the Microsoft 365 Apps update channel referenced at https://aka.ms/OfficeSecurityReleases. Because the vulnerability requires local authenticated access, patching is the definitive fix; until patching completes, reduce exposure by limiting interactive logon rights on multi-user systems to trusted personnel, enforcing least-privilege accounts, and monitoring for unusual OneNote process behavior or crashes that could indicate exploitation attempts. Disabling OneNote entirely is a blunt control that may disrupt user workflows, and restricting logon rights can impact legitimate productivity, so weigh those trade-offs against the relatively contained local attack vector. The vendor advisory is at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-96997.

Affected VersionsENISA

Microsoft Office 365 for Mac 1.0.0 <publication
Microsoft Office LTSC 2021 16.0.1 <16.0.14334.20974
Microsoft Office LTSC for Mac 2021 16.0.1 <publication
Microsoft Office LTSC 2024 16.0.0 <16.0.17932.21056
Microsoft Office LTSC for Mac 2024 16.0.0 <publication
Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise 16.0.1 <https://aka.ms/OfficeSecurityReleases

Affected Packages

euvd microsoft_office_ltsc_2021 fix: 16.0.14334.20974
euvd microsoft_office_ltsc_2024 fix: 16.0.17932.21056

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

CWE-416 (use-after-free) is a memory-safety vulnerability class where an application continues to reference memory after it has been freed, leading to heap corruption that an attacker can shape into arbitrary code execution. In Microsoft OneNote, the flaw is reachable only from a local, authenticated context with low privileges, as reflected in the CVSS vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, which grants high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact within the vulnerable process's security context. The affected products, per ENISA EUVD-2026-99806, are Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise (16.0.1 before the current security release at https://aka.ms/OfficeSecurityReleases), Microsoft Office LTSC 2021 (16.0.1 before 16.0.14334.20974), Microsoft Office LTSC 2024 (16.0.0 before 16.0.17932.21056), and the Mac/LTSC-for-Mac editions (exact version thresholds listed as 'publication' in EUVD). The MSRC advisory is at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-96997. Because the attack vector is local and requires prior authenticated access, this is not a remotely exploitable network flaw.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (microsoft) PRIMARY 7.8 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 7.8 HIGH

Local use-after-free EoP exploitable by an already-authenticated low-privilege user without interaction, yielding full code execution, so AV:L/PR:L and C/I/A:H.

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).

CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
Oct 13, 2026 - 20:20 EUVD
CVE Published
Oct 13, 2026 - 19:22 cve.org
HIGH 7.8

DescriptionCVE.org

Use after free in Microsoft Office OneNote allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

A memory-corruption flaw in Microsoft OneNote allows an attacker who already has a foothold on an endpoint to escalate to higher privileges, creating a path from a single compromised workstation to broader control of that device and any credentials or data it touches. Because OneNote is deployed widely across the organization's Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise and Office LTSC desktop and Mac fleets, the population of exposed endpoints is large even though each exploitation requires pre-existing local access. Leadership should treat this as a scheduled, high-priority patching obligation rather than a crisis: no public exploit identified at time of analysis, and vendor fixes are already available for the affected builds.

Business Impact: Medium
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 78% exploitable
Prevalence
Ubiquitous
OneNote ships within the near-universally deployed Microsoft Office / 365 suite
Vendor Status
Publicly Disclosed:No
Exploited:No
Latest Software Release:Exploitation Less Likely
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

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.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.3%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision
Defer
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact
Medium
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

39
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +39
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

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.

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