CVE-2026-72974

Analyzed Analyzed - Analysis Complete

Microsoft Excel Buffer Over-Read Information Disclosure

Publication date: 2026-09-08

Last updated on: 2026-09-09

Assigner: Microsoft Corporation

Description

Buffer over-read in Microsoft Office Excel allows an unauthorized attacker to disclose information over a network.

CVSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-09-08

Last Modified

2026-09-09

Generated

2026-11-08

AI Q&A

2026-09-09

EPSS Evaluated

2026-11-07

NVD

CVE-2026-72974

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
microsoft	365_apps	*
microsoft	365_apps	*
microsoft	office_2019	*
microsoft	office_2019	*
microsoft	office_2016	*
microsoft	office_2016	*
microsoft	microsoft_365	*
microsoft	office_2021	*
microsoft	office_2021	*
microsoft	office_2021	*
microsoft	office_2024	*
microsoft	office_2024	*
microsoft	office_2024	*

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-126	The product reads from a buffer using buffer access mechanisms such as indexes or pointers that reference memory locations after the targeted buffer.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a buffer over-read in Microsoft Office Excel. It allows an unauthorized attacker to read memory outside the intended buffer, potentially exposing sensitive information over a network.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could exploit this to access confidential data stored in memory, such as passwords or sensitive documents, without needing special privileges.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized data exposure, violating GDPR (data protection) and HIPAA (health information privacy) by compromising confidentiality requirements.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest security updates from Microsoft for affected Office products. Disable Excel macros if not required and restrict network access to Office applications. Monitor for unusual file activity or crashes in Excel.

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