Code execution via use-after-free
Published Aug 12, 2025 · Updated Feb 26, 2026
Use-after-free in Microsoft Office Excel allows attackers to execute code when a user opens a crafted spreadsheet file. Microsoft identifies the memory-safety error as use after free in Excel but has not published the affected parser, object lifetime, or freeing operation. Successful exploitation requires user interaction with attacker-supplied content and runs code in the user's security context, allowing compromise of that user's data and application access.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in Microsoft Office Excel allows attackers to execute code when a user opens a crafted spreadsheet file. Microsoft identifies the memory-safety error as use after free in Excel but has not published the affected parser, object lifetime, or freeing operation. Successful exploitation requires user interaction with attacker-supplied content and runs code in the user's security context, allowing compromise of that user's data and application access.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-53735
- Published
- Aug 12, 2025
- Updated
- Feb 26, 2026
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Microsoft Office LTSC for Mac 2024
- Classifications
- CWE-416, T1203, T1204.002
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 12, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Feb 26, 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=16.0.0 <16.100.25081015
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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