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365 AppsApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2025-29978

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-05-13
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Use after free in Microsoft Office PowerPoint allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code locally.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

Use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft Office PowerPoint that allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code locally by exploiting memory corruption in the PowerPoint file parsing component.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates for Microsoft Office when available; enforce policy to avoid opening untrusted PowerPoint files from unknown or untrusted sources.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
365 AppsApplication
Affected:all versions
Office Long Term Servicing ChannelApplication
Affected:= 2024

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed PowerPoint version
    Open PowerPoint, go to File > Account, and note the version number under 'Update Options' or check via 'About PowerPoint'. Alternatively, check the registry key at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\ClickToRun\Configuration or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\InstallRoot for version details.
    Affected if The installed version falls within Microsoft 365 Apps (any version) or Microsoft Office Long Term Servicing Channel version 2024.
  2. Confirm PowerPoint application is present
    Verify that Microsoft PowerPoint is installed on the system by checking Program Files\Microsoft Office\ or the Start Menu for PowerPoint, or by running 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App*Paths\POWERPNT.EXE' in PowerShell.
    Affected if PowerPoint is installed and the version from step 1 matches the affected ranges.
  3. Verify if the system processes PowerPoint files
    Check for recent PowerPoint file activity or templates by examining recent documents in %APPDATA%\Microsoft\PowerPoint\ or checking file associations for .pptx/.ppt/.ppsx files on the system.
    Affected if PowerPoint files are being processed and the installed PowerPoint version is within the affected ranges.

The environment is affected if Microsoft PowerPoint is installed with a version matching Microsoft 365 Apps (any version) or Microsoft Office LTSC 2024, and the system processes PowerPoint files which trigger the parsing vulnerability.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Microsoft security updates for Microsoft Office when available; enforce policy to avoid opening untrusted PowerPoint files from unknown or untrusted sources.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Microsoft 365 Apps latest version (receive via automatic updates) or Office LTSC 2025

  1. Open Microsoft Word (or any Office app) and go to File > Account
  2. Click on "Update Options" and select "Update Now" to force check for Microsoft 365 updates
  3. Alternatively, open Windows Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update
  4. Click "Check for updates" to receive the latest Microsoft Office security patches
  5. Verify the update was installed by going to File > Account > About [App] and confirming the version includes the latest security fixes
  6. For Office LTSC 2024 users, migrate to Office LTSC 2025 when available through Volume Licensing Service Center
Caveat Microsoft 365 Apps updates are automatic and non-breaking; Office LTSC requires procurement and deployment of version 2025

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in 365 Apps Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-29978 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data