Macro policy bypass via crafted publication file
Published Feb 14, 2023 · Updated Aug 19, 2026
Security feature bypass in Microsoft Publisher for Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise allows local users to run macros via a crafted file. Publisher opens the crafted document without applying the Office macro policy that normally blocks macros in untrusted or malicious files. Exploitation requires an authenticated user to download and open the document, after which its macros run without the expected warning.
Summary
What happened
Security feature bypass in Microsoft Publisher for Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise allows local users to run macros via a crafted file. Publisher opens the crafted document without applying the Office macro policy that normally blocks macros in untrusted or malicious files. Exploitation requires an authenticated user to download and open the document, after which its macros run without the expected warning.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-21715
- Published
- Feb 14, 2023
- Updated
- Aug 19, 2026
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise
- Classifications
- CWE-863, T1204.002
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Feb 14, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 19, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=16.0.1 <https://aka.ms/OfficeSecurityReleases
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Reported exploitation
- CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities listingknown exploited catalog
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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