Findings

CVE-2026-97745

Use after free in Microsoft Office Excel allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.

Published Oct 13, 2026 · corrected/updated Oct 15, 2026 · Microsoft Microsoft 365 · evidence confidence high

Affected Microsoft products: Microsoft Office LTSC 2021 for 32-bit editions, Microsoft Office LTSC 2021 for 64-bit editions, Microsoft Office 365 for Mac, Microsoft Office LTSC 2024 for 32-bit editions, Microsoft Office LTSC for Mac 2021, Microsoft Office LTSC 2024 for 64-bit editions, Microsoft Office LTSC for Mac 2024.

Grounded briefings

Catalog interpretations for three audiences. Each brief cites ingested metadata and the original advisories below. They are not independent research and they do not invent exploit steps.

Executive

CVE-2026-97745 is a high public vulnerability record for Microsoft Microsoft 365. It is not currently listed in the CISA Known Exploited catalog. Check the linked vendor or CERT advisories for patch status. This summary is a catalog interpretation of the ingested metadata and cites the original advisories below.

System administrator

Identify whether Microsoft Microsoft 365 is in your estate, then compare installed versions with the affected ranges. Affected packages or ranges on record: microsoft/365 apps; microsoft/microsoft 365; microsoft/office 2021; microsoft/office 2024. Check the linked vendor or CERT advisories for patch status. Prefer the vendor or distribution advisory linked in Sources before changing production systems. This is a catalog interpretation, not a runbook.

Security analyst

Signals on file: CVSS 8.8, EPSS 0.8%. It is not currently listed in the CISA Known Exploited catalog. Weakness classes: CWE-416. Sources contributing to this record: cve_org, epss, msrc, nvd. Public exploit references, when present, are outbound links only and are not proof of active exploitation. This is a catalog interpretation of stored metadata.

Exploitation and remediation

  • Exploitation evidence

    Not listed as known exploited in CISA KEV. Not in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Patch and remediation

    No required-action text is stored yet. Use the vendor or CERT links in Sources for patch availability.

  • Safe detection guidance

    Compare installed versions with the affected ranges below and verify the advisory from the original publisher. This site stores metadata and outbound links only; it does not ship exploit code or proof-of-concept payloads.

Code

The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.

No public source repository is identified for this product.

Timeline

Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.

  1. Oct 13, 2026 · NIST NVD

    Detected

    Use after free in Microsoft Office Excel allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.

  2. Oct 14, 2026 · NIST NVD

    Updated

    Use after free in Microsoft Office Excel allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.

  3. Oct 15, 2026 · NIST NVD

    Updated

    Use after free in Microsoft Office Excel allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.

Affected

  • cpe microsoft/365 appsversion unspecified
  • cpe microsoft/microsoft 365version unspecified
  • cpe microsoft/office 2021version unspecified
  • cpe microsoft/office 2024version unspecified
  • microsoft Microsoft Office 365 for Macversion unspecified
  • microsoft Microsoft Office LTSC 2021 for 32-bit editionsversion unspecified
  • microsoft Microsoft Office LTSC 2021 for 64-bit editionsversion unspecified
  • microsoft Microsoft Office LTSC 2024 for 32-bit editionsversion unspecified
  • microsoft Microsoft Office LTSC 2024 for 64-bit editionsversion unspecified
  • microsoft Microsoft Office LTSC for Mac 2021version unspecified
  • microsoft Microsoft Office LTSC for Mac 2024version unspecified

Sources

  • CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2026-97745

    Official CVE identifier

    cve.org
  • FIRST EPSSExploitation probabilityCVE-2026-97745

    30-day exploitation probability 0.8%

    first.org
  • Microsoft Security Update GuideVendor advisoryCVE-2026-97745

    Microsoft Office LTSC 2021 for 32-bit editions, Microsoft Office LTSC 2021 for 64-bit editions, Microsoft Office 365 for Mac, Microsoft Office LTSC 2024 for 32-bit editions

    msrc.microsoft.com
  • NIST NVDVulnerability recordCVE-2026-97745

    Use after free in Microsoft Office Excel allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.

    nvd.nist.gov

References