CVE-2026-26113
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code on a victim's system by exploiting an untrusted pointer dereference in Microsoft Office. Attackers can achieve this by tricking users into opening a malicious Office document. All users running vulnerable versions of Microsoft Office are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Microsoft Office
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise with attacker gaining complete control over the victim's computer, enabling data theft, ransomware deployment, or persistent backdoor installation.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation leading to unauthorized access to sensitive files, credential theft, and lateral movement within the network.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper application sandboxing and user privilege restrictions preventing full system takeover.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious document). No public exploit code available at this time.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Check Microsoft Security Update Guide for specific patch versions
Vendor Advisory: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-26113
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Microsoft Office application
2. Go to File > Account > Update Options
3. Select 'Update Now'
4. Restart computer after update completes
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Office macro execution
windowsPrevents execution of malicious macros in Office documents
Set Group Policy: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Microsoft Office 2016 > Security Settings > Trust Center > Disable all macros without notification
Use Office Viewer mode
allOpen documents in protected view to prevent automatic code execution
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict Office document sources to trusted locations only
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized Office execution
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Office version against patched versions in Microsoft Security Update GuideCheck Version:
In Office application: File > Account > About [Application Name]Verify Fix Applied:
Verify Office version matches or exceeds patched version listed in Microsoft advisory📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Office application crashes with memory access violations
- Unexpected child processes spawned from Office applications
- Suspicious document file access patterns
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections from Office processes to unknown IPs
- DNS requests for suspicious domains from Office applications
SIEM Query:
source="windows" AND (event_id=1000 OR event_id=1001) AND process_name="WINWORD.EXE" OR process_name="EXCEL.EXE" OR process_name="POWERPNT.EXE"