Remote code execution in Microsoft Word — ubiquitous enterprise software; exploitable via crafted documents, likely to impact many organizations and warrant broad IT action.
CVE-2026-72972
Heap buffer overflow in MS Word enabling remote code execution via crafted documents.
Is CVE-2026-72972 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-72972 does not appear in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which records only exploitation that has been observed and reported publicly. That is evidence of absence of a report, not evidence the flaw is unattacked. EPSS currently estimates a 0.82% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-72972?
CVE-2026-72972 is rated High with a CVSS score of 8.8. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-72972?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-72972. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2026-72972 affect?
CVE-2026-72972 affects Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Office 2019, Microsoft Office 2021, and 2 further products or versions. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-72972?
Apply Microsoft security updates immediately; block/scan untrusted Word docs.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Remote code execution over network via crafted Word file; attacker can run arbitrary code, deploy malware, or fully compromise the host.
Immediate action required
- affected>= 16.0.1 and < 16.0.20326.20138
- affected>= 19.0.0 and < 16.0.10417.20207
- affected>= 16.0.1 and < 16.0.14334.20906
- affected>= 16.0.0 and < 16.0.17932.20976
- affected>= 16.0.1 and < 16.0.5569.1000
As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.