CVE-2022-26806 in 365 Apps for Enterprise
Summary
by MITRE • 12/13/2022
Microsoft Office Graphics Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2022-26804, CVE-2022-26805, CVE-2022-44692, CVE-2022-47211, CVE-2022-47212, CVE-2022-47213.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/12/2026
Microsoft Office Graphics Remote Code Execution Vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in Microsoft Office applications that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems through maliciously crafted graphics files. This vulnerability specifically affects the way Microsoft Office handles graphics processing within documents, creating a remote code execution vector that can be exploited without user interaction in certain scenarios. The flaw exists in the Office Graphics component that processes various image formats including emf, wmf, and other vector graphics that are commonly embedded in office documents.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and memory corruption issues within the graphics rendering engine of Microsoft Office applications. When a user opens a specially crafted document containing malicious graphics elements, the vulnerable code path is triggered, leading to memory corruption that can be leveraged by attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected user. This vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited through email attachments, document sharing platforms, or any delivery mechanism that involves Office document files containing malicious graphics content.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to enterprise environments where Microsoft Office is widely deployed across organizational networks. Attackers can leverage this flaw to establish persistent access to target systems, escalate privileges, and potentially move laterally within the network. The vulnerability affects multiple Microsoft Office applications including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, making it a broad attack surface that can be exploited through various document types. Organizations using default Office configurations without proper security mitigations are particularly at risk, as the exploitation can occur without user interaction in many scenarios.
Security professionals should implement multiple layers of defense to protect against exploitation of this vulnerability. Immediate patch management is crucial, as Microsoft has released security updates addressing this flaw through regular security bulletins. Network segmentation and email filtering can help reduce the attack surface by limiting the delivery of potentially malicious documents to end users. Additionally, implementing application whitelisting policies and disabling unnecessary graphics processing features can significantly reduce the risk of exploitation. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 - Exploitation for Client Execution and CWE-121 - Stack-based Buffer Overflow, indicating that it represents a classic buffer overflow scenario that can be exploited through client-side applications. Organizations should also consider implementing monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous graphics processing activities or unusual document opening behaviors that might indicate exploitation attempts.