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CVE-2024-38226

From Exploited flaws, HARD’s guide to the flaws being used in attacks · Checked
This article is about a flaw in Microsoft Publisher. For every flaw being used in attacks, see Exploited flaws; for Microsoft’s, see Microsoft flaws being used in attacks.

CVE-2024-38226 is a security flaw in Microsoft Publisher, part of Microsoft Office. Attackers can get past a security protection in Microsoft Publisher. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 10 Sep 2024.[1]

Microsoft Publisher 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 and 16.0.5465.1001.

Description

CISA calls it a protection mechanism failure in Microsoft Publisher. In its words: “Microsoft Publisher contains a protection mechanism failure vulnerability that allows attacker to bypass Office macro policies used to block untrusted or malicious files.”[1]

The underlying weakness is protection mechanism failure (CWE-693), in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.[2]

It scores 7.3 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it high, scored by the organisation that published the CVE 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]

ProductFixed in
Microsoft Office 2019https://aka.ms/OfficeSecurityReleases
Microsoft Office LTSC 2021https://aka.ms/OfficeSecurityReleases
Microsoft Publisher 201616.0.5465.1001

Every device with Microsoft Publisher needs the update.

Exploitation

CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 10 Sep 2024, 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 1 Oct 2024 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 3%. That’s in the top 15% 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]

  1. Update Microsoft Publisher now.Install the latest update from Microsoft on every device that has it, and restart when asked. Then turn on automatic updates, so the next fix arrives on its own.
  2. Check you’re on https://aka.ms/OfficeSecurityReleases or later.Fixed in version https://aka.ms/OfficeSecurityReleases and 16.0.5465.1001. Anything older is what attackers are going after.
  3. 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

DateEvent
The flaw is made public in the National Vulnerability Database, with a severity score of 7.3.[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 3%.[4]

See also

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 ·

Other protection mechanism failure flaws

  • CVE-2026-58704, Google Pixel: improper authorization ·
  • CVE-2025-40536, SolarWinds Web Help Desk: security control bypass ·
  • CVE-2025-0411, 7-Zip: mark of the web bypass ·
  • CVE-2013-0431, Oracle Java Runtime Environment (JRE): JRE sandbox bypass ·
  • CVE-2013-2465, Oracle Java SE: unspecified ·

Added the same day

  • CVE-2024-38217, Microsoft Windows: mark of the web (MOTW) protection mechanism failure ·
  • CVE-2024-38014, Microsoft Windows: installer improper privilege management ·

Every Microsoft flaw on CISA’s list · Everything added in September 2024

References

  1. ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “Microsoft Publisher Protection Mechanism Failure Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 10 Sep 2024.
  2. ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2024-38226 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 10 Sep 2024.
  3. ^ Microsoft. Advisories and fixes: msrc.microsoft.com.
  4. ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.027, percentile 85.7, 31 Oct 2026.
  5. CVE Program. “CVE-2024-38226”. 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.