CVE-2026-68817

Analyzed Analyzed - Analysis Complete

Microsoft Office Excel Stack-Based Buffer Overflow

Publication date: 2026-08-11

Last updated on: 2026-08-13

Assigner: Microsoft Corporation

Description

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

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
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Meta Information

Published

2026-08-11

Last Modified

2026-08-13

Generated

2026-09-01

AI Q&A

2026-08-12

EPSS Evaluated

2026-08-30

NVD

CVE-2026-68817

EUVD

EUVD-2026-56762

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
microsoft	365_apps	*
microsoft	365_apps	*
microsoft	excel	2016
microsoft	excel	2016
microsoft	office_2019	*
microsoft	office_2019	*
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-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 on a victim's system by exploiting a flaw in how Excel handles certain data inputs.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability involves a stack-based buffer overflow in Microsoft Office Excel. Detection primarily relies on monitoring for suspicious Excel file activity or crashes. Check for unexpected Excel.exe processes, unusual memory usage, or crashes during file operations. Use Microsoft Defender for Office 365 to scan files and network traffic for malicious Excel documents.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could exploit this to run malicious code on your computer if you open a specially crafted Excel file. This could lead to data theft, installation of malware, or unauthorized system access. The attack requires user interaction (opening the file) but does not need elevated privileges.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized data access or exfiltration, violating GDPR (data protection) and HIPAA (health data privacy) requirements. Organizations may face compliance penalties if exploited due to inadequate patching or controls.

Mitigation Strategies

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

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