We use optional cookies to improve your experience on our websites, such as through social media connections, and to display personalized advertising based on your online activity. If you reject optional cookies, only cookies necessary to provide you the services will be used. You may change your selection by clicking “Manage Cookies” at the bottom of the page. Privacy Statement Third-Party Cookies AcceptRejectManage cookies MSRC  Customer Guidance  Security Update Guide  Vulnerabilities  CVE-2026-72974 Microsoft Office Excel Information Disclosure Vulnerability New On this page  CVE-2026-72974  Subscribe RSS PowerShell  API  CSAF Security Vulnerability Released: Sep 8, 2026 Assigning CNA Microsoft CVE.org link CVE-2026-72974  Impact Information Disclosure Max Severity Important Weakness CWE-126: Buffer Over-read CVSS Source Microsoft Vector String CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N/E:U/RL:O/RC:C Metrics CVSS:3.1 6.5 / 5.7  Base score metrics: 6.5 / Temporal score metrics: 5.7  Expand all  Collapse all Metric Value   Base score metrics(8) Attack Vector Network Attack Complexity Low Privileges Required None User Interaction Required Scope Unchanged Confidentiality High Integrity None Availability None   Temporal score metrics(3) Exploit Code Maturity Unproven Remediation Level Official Fix Report Confidence Confirmed Please see Common Vulnerability Scoring System for more information on the definition of these metrics. Executive Summary Buffer over-read in Microsoft Office Excel allows an unauthorized attacker to disclose information over a network. Exploitability The following table provides an exploitability assessment for this vulnerability at the time of original publication. Publicly disclosed No Exploited No Exploitability assessment Exploitation Less Likely FAQ Is the Preview Pane an attack vector for this vulnerability? No, the Preview Pane is not an attack vector. Are the updates for the Microsoft Office LTSC for Mac currently available? The security update for Microsoft Office LTSC for Mac 2021 and 2024 are not immediately available. The updates will be released as soon as possible, and when they are available, customers will be notified via a revision to this CVE information. What type of information could be disclosed by this vulnerability? An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could potentially read small portions of heap memory. Acknowledgements 0ccbbf129444eb66344ccafb92b00df4 Microsoft recognizes the efforts of those in the security community who help us protect customers through coordinated vulnerability disclosure. See Acknowledgements for more information. Security Updates To determine the support lifecycle for your software, see the Microsoft Support Lifecycle. Release date Descending  Edit columns  Download  Filters  Product Family  Max Severity  Impact  Platform   Clear Release date  Product Platform Impact Max Severity Article Download Build Number Assigning CNA Loading... Disclaimer The information provided in the Microsoft Knowledge Base is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Microsoft disclaims all warranties, either express or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall Microsoft Corporation or its suppliers be liable for any damages whatsoever including direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, loss of business profits or special damages, even if Microsoft Corporation or its suppliers have been advised of the possibility of such damages. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages so the foregoing limitation may not apply. Revisions version revisionDate description 1.0 Sep 8, 2026 Information published.  How satisfied are you with the MSRC Security Update Guide? Rating  Broken  Bad  Below average  Average  Great!  Your Privacy Choices Consumer Health Privacy Privacy & Cookies