CVE-2025-59229 is a vulnerability identified in Microsoft Office LTSC 2024 version 16.0.0, classified under CWE-248 (Uncaught Exception). This flaw arises when the application fails to properly handle an exception, leading to an unhandled error condition. An unauthorized attacker with local access can trigger this exception, causing the Office application to crash or become unresponsive, effectively resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 5.5 (medium), reflecting that the attack vector is local (AV:L), attack complexity is low (AC:L), no privileges are required (PR:N), but user interaction is necessary (UI:R). The scope remains unchanged (S:U), and the impact affects availability only (A:H), with no confidentiality or integrity impact. The exploitability is moderate since it requires local presence and user action, limiting remote exploitation. No known exploits have been reported in the wild, and no patches have been published at the time of disclosure. This vulnerability could be leveraged by malicious insiders or malware with local execution capabilities to disrupt business operations by crashing Office applications. Given Microsoft Office's widespread use in enterprise environments, this vulnerability could impact productivity and availability of critical document processing workflows.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2025-59229 is operational disruption due to denial of service on Microsoft Office LTSC 2024 installations. This can lead to loss of productivity, interruption of document processing, and potential delays in business-critical tasks. Since the vulnerability requires local access and user interaction, the risk is higher in environments where endpoint security is weak or where users might be tricked into triggering the exception (e.g., opening malicious documents). Organizations in sectors with high reliance on Office productivity tools, such as finance, legal, government, and education, may experience more pronounced effects. While confidentiality and integrity are not directly impacted, the availability disruption could indirectly affect business continuity and service delivery. Additionally, if exploited by insider threats or malware, this vulnerability could be part of a broader attack chain aiming to degrade operational capabilities.

1. Restrict local access to systems running Microsoft Office LTSC 2024 to trusted users only, employing strict endpoint access controls and user account management. 2. Educate users about the risk of opening untrusted or suspicious Office documents to reduce the chance of triggering the vulnerability. 3. Monitor endpoint logs and application crash reports to detect abnormal Office application failures that could indicate exploitation attempts. 4. Implement application whitelisting and endpoint protection solutions to prevent unauthorized code execution that might trigger the vulnerability. 5. Once Microsoft releases a security patch, prioritize its deployment across all affected systems to remediate the vulnerability. 6. Consider using alternative Office versions or productivity suites temporarily if feasible, to reduce exposure until a patch is available. 7. Maintain robust backup and recovery procedures to minimize operational impact in case of disruption.