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365 AppsApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2025-62552

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-12-09
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
Relative path traversal in Microsoft Office Access 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

A relative path traversal vulnerability in Microsoft Office Access allows attackers to escape intended directory restrictions using path traversal sequences (e.g., '../'), potentially enabling local code execution through manipulation of file paths used by Access.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates for Office Access when available; restrict Access file handling permissions and warn users against opening database files from 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
AccessApplication
Affected:= 2016
OfficeApplication
Affected:= 2019
Office Long Term Servicing ChannelApplication
Affected:= 2021= 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 Office/Access version
    Open Command Prompt and run: winword.exe /? or find msaccess.exe in Program Files and run msaccess.exe /?. Alternatively, check Registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\ClickToRun\Configuration or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Access\InstallRoot
    Affected if The installed version matches Microsoft 365 Apps (any), Access 2016, Office 2019, Office LTSC 2021, or Office LTSC 2024
  2. Confirm Microsoft Access application is installed
    Check for msaccess.exe in typical locations: %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Office\root\Office16, %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Office\root\Office16, or %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Office 16\root\Office16. Also verify in Windows Settings > Apps > Installed Apps
    Affected if Microsoft Access is installed on the system
  3. Verify if Access is used for file operations involving external data sources
    Check for recent .accdb, .mdb database files opened, or linked tables/import operations. Inspect Windows Event Viewer for Microsoft Office Alerts related to Access file operations. Review user workflows that involve opening Access databases from network shares or external locations
    Affected if Users routinely open Access database files from shared/network locations or attach external data sources via Access
  4. Audit Access Trust Center settings
    Open Microsoft Access, go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Trusted Locations. Also check Trust Center for Macro Settings and Object Model prompts. Review whether files from trusted locations are opened without security warnings
    Affected if Trust Center settings allow automatic execution of code or disable file path validation warnings for external database files

The environment is affected if Microsoft Access (version 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, or any Microsoft 365 Apps version) is installed and users open database files, particularly from network shares or untrusted locations, enabling path traversal manipulation of file paths used by Access.

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 Office Access when available; restrict Access file handling permissions and warn users against opening database files from untrusted sources.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Microsoft 365 Apps: Latest version via Current Channel (update to newest release); Access 2016: Apply latest security update (KB number from Microsoft Security Response Center); Access 2019: Apply latest security update; Office LTSC 2021: Apply latest security update; Office LTSC 2024: Apply latest

  1. Verify current Microsoft Office version via File > Account in any Office application
  2. Ensure automatic updates are enabled via File > Account > Update Options > Enable Updates
  3. For manual patching, run Windows Update (Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for updates)
  4. Install the latest Microsoft Office security update containing the CVE-2025-62552 fix
  5. Restart computer after updates complete
  6. Verify Access version reflects patched release by checking File > Account > About Access
Caveat Standard Office security patches typically have no breaking changes; however, legacy features or macros affected by security hardening may require adjustment

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
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,540
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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-2025-62552 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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