CVE-2026-97742

Analyzed Analyzed - Analysis Complete

Microsoft Office Excel Stack-Based Buffer Overflow

Publication date: 2026-10-13

Last updated on: 2026-10-15

Assigner: Microsoft Corporation

Description

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

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

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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-2026-97742

EUVD

EUVD-2026-100296

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	*
microsoft	office_online_server	to 16.0.10417.20228 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-121	A stack-based buffer overflow condition is a condition where the buffer being overwritten is allocated on the stack (i.e., is a local variable or, rarely, a parameter to a function).

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This is a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Microsoft Office Excel. It allows an unauthorized attacker to execute arbitrary code remotely over a network by exploiting a flaw in how Excel handles certain data inputs.

Detection Guidance

Detecting this vulnerability requires monitoring for unusual Excel file activity or network traffic patterns. Use Microsoft Defender for Office 365 to scan files and enable network traffic monitoring for suspicious Excel-related connections. Check for unexpected Excel processes or crashes that may indicate exploitation attempts.

Impact Analysis

If exploited, this vulnerability could allow an attacker to take control of your system, install malware, steal data, or perform other malicious actions. It primarily affects users who open specially crafted Excel files from untrusted sources.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability allows remote code execution via a stack-based buffer overflow in Microsoft Office Excel. Such unauthorized code execution could lead to unauthorized access or data exfiltration, which may violate compliance requirements under GDPR (data protection) and HIPAA (health data security).

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest security updates from Microsoft for Office Excel as soon as possible to patch the stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability.

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