CVE-2026-81389: Microsoft Excel Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Overview

Severity
High (CVSS 7)
CVSS Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C
Category
Remote Code Execution
Exploit Status
Not Exploited
Exploitation Likelihood
Less Likely
Patch Tuesday
2026-Sep
Released
2026-09-08

Description

Heap-based buffer overflow in Microsoft Office Excel allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code locally.

FAQ

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. Is the Preview Pane an attack vector for this vulnerability? No, the Preview Pane is not an attack vector. According to the CVSS metric, the attack complexity is high (AC:H). What does that mean for this vulnerability? Successful exploitation of this vulnerability requires that the target system be set up in a specific manner and the attacker to have knowledge of that setup. According to the CVSS metric, user interaction is required (UI:R). What interaction would the user have to do? An attacker must send a user a malicious Office file and convince them to open it.

Affected Products (15)

Microsoft Office

  • Microsoft Office 365 for Mac
  • 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 Excel 2016 (32-bit edition)
  • Microsoft Excel 2016 (64-bit edition)
  • Microsoft Office 2016 (32-bit edition)
  • Microsoft Office 2016 (64-bit edition)

Security Updates (2)

Acknowledgments

<a href="https://x.com/lmksecurity">Jeongmin Choi</a>

Revision History

  • 2026-09-08: Information published.