Microsoft Word for Mac has a flaw where an untrusted pointer is dereferenced during document processing, allowing an attacker to cause arbitrary local code execution. This is a classic out‑of‑bounds read vulnerability (CWE‑125) that can be triggered by crafted input data. The consequences are complete compromise of the affected machine, allowing the attacker to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the user running Word.

The vulnerability affects Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, Microsoft Office 365 for Mac, Microsoft Office LTSC for Mac 2021, and Microsoft Office LTSC for Mac 2024. The CNA does not list specific version ranges, indicating that all current releases of these products are potentially affected until a fix is applied.

The CVSS score of 7.8 signals a high severity, and while the EPSS score is not available, the lack of a KEV listing suggests the vulnerability has not yet been widely exploited in the wild. The most likely attack path is an attacker delivering a malicious Word document to a user, who must open the file for the exploit to succeed. Once triggered, the attacker can execute code with the user's access rights, potentially escalating privileges to system level. The vulnerability remains a significant risk to any environment where users can open Word documents from external or untrusted sources.