CVE-2026-78506: Microsoft Office Word Information Disclosure Vulnerability

Overview

Severity
Medium (CVSS 5.5)
CVSS Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N/E:U/RL:O/RC:C
Category
Information Disclosure
Exploit Status
Not Exploited
Exploitation Likelihood
Less Likely
Patch Tuesday
2026-Sep
Released
2026-09-08
Last Updated
2026-09-17
EPSS Score
0.54% (percentile: 44.7%)

Description

Improper null termination in Microsoft Office Word allows an unauthorized attacker to disclose information locally.

FAQ

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. Is the Preview Pane an attack vector for this vulnerability? No, the Preview Pane is not an attack vector. Are the updates for Microsoft Office LTSC for Mac 2021 and 2024 currently available? Yes. As of September 16, 2026, the security update for Microsoft Office LTSC for Mac 2021, 2024 and Microsoft Office 365 for Mac are available. Customers running Microsoft Office LTSC for Mac 2021, 2024 and Microsoft Office 365 for Mac should ensure the update is installed to be protected from this vulnerability.

Affected Products (13)

Microsoft Office

  • Microsoft Office 2019 for 32-bit editions
  • Microsoft Office 2019 for 64-bit editions
  • Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise for 32-bit Systems
  • Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise for 64-bit Systems
  • Microsoft Office LTSC for Mac 2021
  • Microsoft Office LTSC 2021 for 64-bit editions
  • Microsoft Office LTSC 2021 for 32-bit editions
  • Microsoft Office LTSC 2024 for 32-bit editions
  • Microsoft Office LTSC 2024 for 64-bit editions
  • Microsoft Office LTSC for Mac 2024
  • Microsoft Word 2016 (32-bit edition)
  • Microsoft Word 2016 (64-bit edition)
  • Microsoft Office 365 for Mac

Security Updates (3)

Acknowledgments

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Revision History

  • 2026-09-08: Information published.
  • 2026-09-17: Microsoft is announcing the availability of the security updates for Microsoft Office for Mac. Customers running affected Mac software should install the update for their product to be protected from this vulnerability. Customers running other Microsoft Office software do not need to take any action. See the Release Notes for more information and download links.