Description
Heap-based buffer overflow in Microsoft Office Excel allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code locally.
Published: 2026-07-14
Score: 7.8 High
EPSS: < 1% Very Low
KEV: No
Impact: n/a
Action: n/a
AI Analysis

Impact

The vulnerability is a heap-based buffer overflow in Microsoft Office Excel that allows an unauthorized attacker to execute arbitrary code locally in the context of the user opening a malicious file. Classified as CWE-122, this memory corruption flaw can lead to local code execution with the privileges of the affected Office process.

Affected Systems

Affected products include Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, Microsoft Excel 2016, Microsoft Office 2019, Microsoft Office 365 for Mac, Microsoft Office LTSC 2021, Microsoft Office LTSC 2024, Microsoft Office LTSC for Mac 2021, Microsoft Office LTSC for Mac 2024, and Office Online Server. The scope covers all build versions of these products that have not received the latest Microsoft update, as specific build numbers were not disclosed in the advisory.

Risk and Exploitability

The CVSS score of 7.8 indicates high severity, while the EPSS score of less than 1% suggests a low but non‑zero chance of exploitation in the wild. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog, indicating no publicly known exploits yet. Based on the description, it is inferred that the attack requires the victim to open a malicious file, so the attack vector is local and may be carried out through shared drives or web portals that provide Office documents. The likely attack path involves an attacker delivering a maliciously crafted spreadsheet to a user; when the user opens the file, the heap-based buffer overflow can be triggered, allowing local code execution.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on July 31, 2026 at 06:50 UTC.

Remediation

No vendor fix or workaround currently provided.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

  • Apply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2026-55137 to all affected Office installations.
  • Configure Office to enforce Protected View for all external documents and disable automatic macro execution.
  • Enable application whitelisting or endpoint detection to block unauthorized code execution from Microsoft Office processes.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on July 31, 2026 at 06:50 UTC.

Tracking

Sign in to view the affected projects.

Advisories

No advisories yet.

History

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 17:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'total'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}


Wed, 15 Jul 2026 16:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Microsoft microsoft Office 365 For Mac
Microsoft microsoft Office Ltsc 2021
Microsoft microsoft Office Ltsc 2024
Microsoft microsoft Office Ltsc For Mac 2021
Microsoft microsoft Office Ltsc For Mac 2024
Microsoft office Online Server
Vendors & Products Microsoft microsoft Office 365 For Mac
Microsoft microsoft Office Ltsc 2021
Microsoft microsoft Office Ltsc 2024
Microsoft microsoft Office Ltsc For Mac 2021
Microsoft microsoft Office Ltsc For Mac 2024
Microsoft office Online Server

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 17:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description Heap-based buffer overflow in Microsoft Office Excel allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code locally.
Title Microsoft Excel Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
First Time appeared Microsoft
Microsoft 365 Apps
Microsoft excel 2016
Microsoft office 2019
Microsoft office 2021
Microsoft office 2024
Microsoft office 365
Microsoft office Macos 2021
Microsoft office Macos 2024
Weaknesses CWE-122
CPEs cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:365_apps:*:*:*:*:enterprise:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:excel_2016:*:*:*:*:*:*:x86:*
cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:office_2019:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:office_2021:*:*:*:*:long_term_servicing_channel:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:office_2021:*:*:*:*:ltsc:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:office_2024:*:*:*:*:long_term_servicing_channel:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:office_365:*:*:*:*:*:macos:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:office_macos_2021:*:*:*:*:*:long_term_servicing_channel:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:office_macos_2024:*:*:*:*:*:long_term_servicing_channel:*:*
Vendors & Products Microsoft
Microsoft 365 Apps
Microsoft excel 2016
Microsoft office 2019
Microsoft office 2021
Microsoft office 2024
Microsoft office 365
Microsoft office Macos 2021
Microsoft office Macos 2024
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 7.8, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C'}


Subscriptions

Microsoft 365 Apps Excel 2016 Microsoft Office 365 For Mac Microsoft Office Ltsc 2021 Microsoft Office Ltsc 2024 Microsoft Office Ltsc For Mac 2021 Microsoft Office Ltsc For Mac 2024 Office 2019 Office 2021 Office 2024 Office 365 Office Macos 2021 Office Macos 2024 Office Online Server
cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: microsoft

Published:

Updated: 2026-08-03T22:57:15.508Z

Reserved: 2026-06-16T15:03:49.681Z

Link: CVE-2026-55137

cve-icon Vulnrichment

Updated: 2026-07-14T19:15:41.840Z

cve-icon NVD

No data.

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-07-31T07:00:08Z

Weaknesses
  • CWE-122

    Heap-based Buffer Overflow