Description
Use after free in Microsoft Office Excel allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.
Published: 2026-08-03
Score: 8.8 High
EPSS: < 1% Very Low
KEV: No
Impact: n/a
Action: n/a
AI Analysis

Impact

Use‑after‑free flaw in Microsoft Office Excel lets an attacker execute arbitrary code over the network. The vulnerability arises when a valid memory pointer is freed but still accessed, allowing the attacker to inject malicious payloads that are processed by Excel. The ability to run code remotely means an adversary could gain control of the victim’s system, exfiltrate data, or install malware, thereby compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected environment.

Affected Systems

Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, Microsoft Excel 2016, Microsoft Office 2019, Microsoft Office LTSC 2021, Microsoft Office LTSC 2024. No specific version numbers are listed in the data, so all releases in the mentioned product families may be impacted.

Risk and Exploitability

The CVSS score of 8.8 classifies the flaw as high severity, while the EPSS score is not provided. The vulnerability is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog, but the description indicates that exploitation can occur over a network connection. The likely attack vector is that an attacker sends a crafted Excel file to a target connected to the same network, triggering the use‑after‑free and enabling code execution.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on August 4, 2026 at 09:28 UTC.

Remediation

No vendor fix or workaround currently provided.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

  • Download and install the official Microsoft security update for Excel and Office from the Microsoft Update guide (https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-62870).
  • After the update, ensure that all Office applications are configured to block or restrict the automatic opening of files from untrusted networks.
  • If corporate policy allows, disable or harden features that process external files until no longer needed, such as incoming OLE objects or macro‑enabled content, as a temporary safeguard while a patch is pending.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on August 4, 2026 at 09:28 UTC.

Tracking

Sign in to view the affected projects.

Advisories

No advisories yet.

History

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Microsoft microsoft 365 Apps For Enterprise
Vendors & Products Microsoft microsoft 365 Apps For Enterprise

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 18:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

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


Mon, 03 Aug 2026 23:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description Use after free in Microsoft Office Excel allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.
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
Weaknesses CWE-416
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_2024:*:*:*:*:long_term_servicing_channel:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Microsoft
Microsoft 365 Apps
Microsoft excel 2016
Microsoft office 2019
Microsoft office 2021
Microsoft office 2024
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 8.8, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 Excel 2016 Microsoft 365 Apps For Enterprise Office 2019 Office 2021 Office 2024
cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: microsoft

Published:

Updated: 2026-08-20T17:06:52.987Z

Reserved: 2026-07-14T21:13:55.099Z

Link: CVE-2026-62870

cve-icon Vulnrichment

Updated: 2026-08-04T17:22:07.736Z

cve-icon NVD

Status : Analyzed

Published: 2026-08-04T00:17:37.813

Modified: 2026-08-09T14:32:17.837

Link: CVE-2026-62870

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-08-05T09:45:06Z

Weaknesses