CVE-2026-88197

Analyzed Analyzed - Analysis Complete

Heap-based Buffer Overflow in Microsoft Office

Publication date: 2026-10-13

Last updated on: 2026-10-15

Assigner: Microsoft Corporation

Description

Heap-based buffer overflow in Microsoft Office allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
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Meta Information

Published

2026-10-13

Last Modified

2026-10-15

Generated

2026-10-19

AI Q&A

2026-10-14

EPSS Evaluated

2026-10-18

NVD

CVE-2026-88197

EUVD

EUVD-2026-99735

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
microsoft	365_apps	*
microsoft	365_apps	*
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-122	A heap overflow condition is a buffer overflow, where the buffer that can be overwritten is allocated in the heap portion of memory, generally meaning that the buffer was allocated using a routine such as malloc().

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Microsoft Office. It allows an unauthorized attacker to execute arbitrary code remotely over a network by exploiting a flaw in memory handling.

Detection Guidance

Detecting this vulnerability requires monitoring for unusual network activity or suspicious Office application behavior. Check for unexpected crashes in Microsoft Office processes or unusual network connections initiated by Office applications. Use tools like Process Explorer or Windows Event Viewer to inspect memory corruption events or heap overflow indicators in Office processes.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could exploit this to run malicious code on your system, potentially stealing data, installing malware, or taking control of your device. It requires user interaction like opening a specially crafted file.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability allows remote code execution via a heap-based buffer overflow in Microsoft Office. Such attacks could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, which may violate compliance requirements under GDPR (data protection) and HIPAA (health information privacy).

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest security updates from Microsoft for affected Office products immediately. Monitor Microsoft's official security advisories for patches and follow their recommended mitigation steps.

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