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365 AppsApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2025-53739

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-08-12
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
Access of resource using incompatible type ('type confusion') in Microsoft Office Excel 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

This is a type confusion vulnerability in Microsoft Office Excel where the software accesses a resource using an incompatible type, leading to arbitrary code execution. An attacker could exploit this by crafting a malicious Excel file that triggers the type confusion when opened by the victim.

MitigationApply the appropriate Microsoft Office security update or patch for Excel as soon as practical. Verify that Microsoft Office is updated to the latest version with all security patches installed.

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
ExcelApplication
Affected:= 2016
OfficeApplication
Affected:= 2019
Office Long Term Servicing ChannelApplication
Affected:= 2021= 2024
Office Online ServerApplication
Affected:all versions

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. Check installed Excel version via file properties
    Locate excel.exe (typically in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16 or Office15, or C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16), right-click, select Properties, and view the Details tab for the Version field
    Affected if The displayed version falls within an affected release: Excel 2016, Office 2019, Office 2021, Office 2024, Microsoft 365, or Office Online Server (all versions)
  2. Check Excel version via PowerShell
    Open PowerShell and run: (Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\excel.exe').'(Default)' | ForEach-Object { (Get-Item $_).VersionInfo.FileVersion }
    Affected if The returned version matches an affected Excel release (2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, or Microsoft 365)
  3. Check Office version via PowerShell
    Run: Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\ClickToRun\Configuration' | Select-Object ProductReleaseIds, Version
    Affected if The ProductReleaseIds contain an affected Office version (2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, or O365)
  4. Verify Office update channel
    Run: Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\ClickToRun\Configuration' | Select-Object UpdateChannel
    Affected if The UpdateChannel is set to any value (vulnerability applies regardless of channel; Microsoft 365 Apps on all channels are affected)
  5. Confirm Excel installation exists
    Check for excel.exe in standard Office installation paths or run: Get-Process excel -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    Affected if Excel is installed and running any version in the affected ranges

The environment is affected if any installed version of Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office, Microsoft 365 Apps, or Microsoft Office Online Server matches the affected version ranges (2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, or all versions for Microsoft 365/Online Server).

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 the appropriate Microsoft Office security update or patch for Excel as soon as practical. Verify that Microsoft Office is updated to the latest version with all security patches installed.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Apply Microsoft security update for CVE-2025-53739 (check msrc.microsoft.com for specific KB number)

  1. Open Microsoft Edge or your default browser and navigate to the Microsoft Security Response Center (msrc.microsoft.com)
  2. Search for CVE-2025-53739 to locate the specific security bulletin and patch KB number
  3. Apply the corresponding Microsoft security update via Windows Update (Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for updates)
  4. For enterprise environments, deploy the patch through WSUS, SCCM, or Intune as appropriate
  5. Verify the update has been installed by checking Office application version information
Caveat Standard security patch with no expected breaking changes; patches are cumulative and include previous security fixes

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
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2025-53739 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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