Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessCraft malicious Excel file
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ExploitDeliver via phishing or web
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ExecutionVictim opens file in Excel
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ImpactSensitive system information disclosed
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V14 - Data Protection System info exposure prevention
|
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires the victim to open an attacker-crafted Excel document (CVSS UI:R) in a vulnerable Office build - there is no remotely reachable service, so the file must first be delivered (email, web, or share) and opened by a user. No authentication or prior privileges are needed on the target (PR:N), and default configurations of affected Microsoft Office Excel versions are impacted (Office LTSC 2021 before 16.0.14334.20974, Office LTSC 2024 before 16.0.17932.21056, Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, Office for Mac 2021/2024, Office 365 for Mac, and Office Online Server before 16.0.10417.20228). The primary limiting factor is the mandatory user interaction, which prevents automated/wormable exploitation (SSVC Automatable: no); impact is confined to disclosure of sensitive information with no integrity or availability effect. |
| Impact | This is a moderate-severity information-disclosure flaw (CVSS 6.5) in Microsoft Office Excel. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N) describes an unauthenticated, network-delivered attack of low complexity that leaks confidential data (C:H) but cannot alter or destroy it (I:N/A:N) - and crucially it requires user interaction (UI:R), meaning a victim must open an attacker-supplied file. The signals are internally consistent and point to LOW real-world urgency despite the HIGH confidentiality impact: CISA's SSVC framework rates Exploitation as 'none' (no observed or public exploitation), Automatable as 'no' (the required user interaction prevents mass/worm-style abuse), and Technical Impact as 'partial'. The vulnerability is NOT in CISA KEV and no public proof-of-concept is referenced. No EPSS probability score was provided in the input, so quantitative exploitation likelihood cannot be stated; however, the SSVC 'none'/'not automatable' rating and absence of KEV/POC together argue this is a high-CVSS-confidentiality issue rather than an actively pressing threat. The AV:N label follows Microsoft's convention for file-delivered Office attacks (the malicious document arrives over a network) rather than a true remote service exploit - defenders should read this as 'open a malicious spreadsheet', not 'remotely reachable listener'. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker crafts a malicious Excel spreadsheet and delivers it via phishing email, a shared drive, or a web download. When the victim opens the file in a vulnerable version of Excel, the flaw (CWE-497) causes sensitive system information to be disclosed back to the attacker. No public exploit code is identified at the time of analysis, and successful exploitation hinges entirely on convincing the user to open the file. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 13, 2026
Information disclosure in Microsoft Office Excel allows an unauthenticated attacker to read sensitive system data when a victim opens a crafted spreadsheet. Affected builds include Office LTSC 2021 before 16.0.14334.20974, Office LTSC 2024 before 16.0.17932.21056, Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, Office for Mac 2021/2024, Office 365 for Mac, and Office Online Server before 16.0.10417.20228. The CVSS 3.1 score is 6.5 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N), exploitation requires user interaction, and no public exploit or active exploitation has been identified at time of analysis; vendor patches are available.
RemediationAI
Apply the vendor update as the primary fix: upgrade Microsoft Office LTSC 2021 to 16.0.14334.20974 or later, Microsoft Office LTSC 2024 to 16.0.17932.21056 or later, and Office Online Server to 16.0.10417.20228 or later; Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise and Mac Office editions should be updated through the channels listed at https://aka.ms/OfficeSecurityReleases and the Microsoft advisory https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-97740. If patching is delayed, enforce Protected View and Application Guard for Excel documents from untrusted sources, disable automatic loading of external content and macros, and block risky spreadsheet attachments at email and web gateways; these controls reduce the chance that a user opens a malicious workbook, but they can disrupt legitimate workflows and are not substitutes for patching. Because exploitation requires the user to open a crafted file, user awareness and attachment filtering are useful compensating measures while updates are deployed.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 3 packages in euvd
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Technical ContextAI · show details
The issue is a CWE-497 exposure of sensitive system information to an unauthorized control sphere in Microsoft Office Excel. The CVSS vector shows a network-delivered attack with no privileges required but mandatory user interaction (UI:R), consistent with the victim having to open an attacker-crafted Excel document; there is no remotely reachable service component. The SSVC assessment records exploitation as none, automatable as no, and technical impact as partial, which aligns with a disclosure-only defect that can reveal sensitive data but does not permit code execution, data modification, or denial of service. Affected builds span Microsoft Office LTSC 2021 and 2024, Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, Office LTSC for Mac 2021/2024, Office 365 for Mac, and Office Online Server, with fixes tied to the Microsoft advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-97740.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
File delivered over network (AV:N) and opened by the user (UI:R) with no auth (PR:N); leaks sensitive data (C:H) with no integrity or availability impact (I:N/A:N).
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Exposure of sensitive system information to an unauthorized control sphere in Microsoft Office Excel allows an unauthorized attacker to disclose information over a network.
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
Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.
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EUVD-2026-99812
GHSA-r3cp-wvg8-3gq2
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB