CVE-2026-20943: CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path in Microsoft Microsoft Office 2016
Untrusted search path in Microsoft Office allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code locally.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
This vulnerability (CVE-2026-20943) in Microsoft Office 2016 is classified as CWE-426 (Untrusted Search Path). It enables an attacker with local access to execute arbitrary code by manipulating the search path used by Office to load files or libraries. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 7.0, reflecting high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with attack vector local, high attack complexity, no privileges required, and user interaction needed. The vulnerability is not related to cloud services and no known exploits are reported in the wild. A patch is available from Microsoft to remediate this issue.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation can lead to local code execution with high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system. The attacker must have local access and require user interaction to trigger the vulnerability. No remote exploitation is possible based on current data.
Mitigation Recommendations
A patch is available for this vulnerability. It is recommended to apply the official Microsoft update for Office 2016 that addresses CVE-2026-20943. No additional mitigation steps are specified or required beyond applying the patch.
CVE-2026-20943: CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path in Microsoft Microsoft Office 2016
Description
Untrusted search path in Microsoft Office allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code locally.
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
This vulnerability (CVE-2026-20943) in Microsoft Office 2016 is classified as CWE-426 (Untrusted Search Path). It enables an attacker with local access to execute arbitrary code by manipulating the search path used by Office to load files or libraries. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 7.0, reflecting high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with attack vector local, high attack complexity, no privileges required, and user interaction needed. The vulnerability is not related to cloud services and no known exploits are reported in the wild. A patch is available from Microsoft to remediate this issue.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation can lead to local code execution with high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system. The attacker must have local access and require user interaction to trigger the vulnerability. No remote exploitation is possible based on current data.
Mitigation Recommendations
A patch is available for this vulnerability. It is recommended to apply the official Microsoft update for Office 2016 that addresses CVE-2026-20943. No additional mitigation steps are specified or required beyond applying the patch.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- microsoft
- Date Reserved
- 2025-12-04T20:04:16.338Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 69668ae4a60475309f9ae20b
Added to database: 1/13/2026, 6:11:48 PM
Last enriched: 4/3/2026, 12:51:12 PM
Last updated: 5/10/2026, 9:12:44 AM
Views: 99
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