CVE-2023-36761
CVE-2023-36761 is a security flaw in Microsoft Word, part of Microsoft Office. Attackers can read information from Microsoft Word that should be private. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 12 Sep 2023.[1]
Microsoft Word is in things households have, such as phones, computers, browsers and everyday apps, so the fix matters at home as much as at work. Fixed in version https://aka.ms/OfficeSecurityReleases, 16.0.5413.1000 and 15.0.5589.1001.
Description
CISA calls it an information disclosure in Microsoft Word. In its words: “Microsoft Word contains an unspecified vulnerability that allows for information disclosure.”[1]
The underlying weakness is exposure to the wrong sphere (CWE-668), in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.[2]
It scores 6.5 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it medium, scored by NVD using CVSS 3.1.[2]
Affected versions
NVD’s record lists these fixed versions: in each line, everything before the version shown is affected.[2]
| Product | Fixed in |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Office 2019 | https://aka.ms/OfficeSecurityReleases |
| Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise | https://aka.ms/OfficeSecurityReleases |
| Microsoft Office LTSC 2021 | https://aka.ms/OfficeSecurityReleases |
| Microsoft Word 2016 | 16.0.5413.1000 |
| Microsoft Word 2013 Service Pack 1 | 15.0.5589.1001 |
Every device with Microsoft Word needs the update.
Exploitation
CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 12 Sep 2023, within a day of it being made public. CISA lists a flaw only when it has reliable evidence of it being exploited, and gave US federal agencies until 3 Oct 2023 to fix it.[1]
FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System, which estimates how likely a flaw is to be used in attacks in the next 30 days from what it sees across the internet, puts it at 20%. That’s in the top 3% of the flaws it scores.[4]
CISA assesses it as not automatable: each attack takes some work.
CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.
Fix
Microsoft has published a fix or advice.[3] CISA’s required action: “Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.”[1]
- Update Microsoft Word now.On Windows: Settings, Windows Update, Check for updates, then restart. Office updates come the same way, or from any Office app: File, Account, Update Options. Then turn on automatic updates, so the next fix arrives on its own.
- Check you’re on https://aka.ms/OfficeSecurityReleases or later.Fixed in version https://aka.ms/OfficeSecurityReleases, 16.0.5413.1000 and 15.0.5589.1001. Anything older is what attackers are going after.
- If there’s no update, stop using it.CISA’s advice when a flaw being used in attacks has no fix is to stop using the product until it does.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| The flaw is made public in the National Vulnerability Database, with a severity score of 6.5.[2] | |
| CISA adds it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks.[1] | |
| CISA’s deadline for US government agencies to fix it.[1] | |
| FIRST puts the odds of it being used in attacks in the next 30 days at 20%.[4] |
See also
Other Microsoft Word flaws
- CVE-2006-2492: malformed object pointer ·
- CVE-2012-2539: remote code execution ·
- CVE-2014-1761: memory corruption ·
Other Microsoft flaws
- CVE-2026-96951, Microsoft Windows: command injection ·
- CVE-2026-65660, Microsoft SharePoint: code injection ·
- CVE-2026-85880, Microsoft Windows: heap-based buffer overflow ·
- CVE-2026-81963, Microsoft Windows: link following ·
- CVE-2019-1068, Microsoft SQL Server: remote code execution ·
Added the same day
- CVE-2023-36802, Microsoft Streaming Service Proxy: privilege escalation ·
Every Microsoft flaw on CISA’s list · Everything added in September 2023
References
- ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “Microsoft Word Information Disclosure Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 12 Sep 2023.
- ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2023-36761 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 12 Sep 2023.
- ^ Microsoft. Advisories and fixes: msrc.microsoft.com.
- ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.196, percentile 97.4, 31 Oct 2026.
- CVE Program. “CVE-2023-36761”. The official CVE record.
This article is built from CISA’s catalog (version 2026.10.30), NVD’s record and FIRST’s scores, kept in HARD’s database and checked every morning. The plain English is HARD’s.