CVE-2026-55120
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 · uneditedHeap-based buffer overflow in Microsoft Office PowerPoint allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code locally.
In the news
Third-party coverage- Microsoft July 2026 Patch Tuesday fixes massive 570 flaws, 3 zero-days
- Microsoft CVE Summary - Bleeping Computer
Surfaced from public web coverage — external links open in a new tab.
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 · high confidenceA heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Microsoft Office PowerPoint allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code locally. The vulnerability stems from improper memory handling when processing specially crafted PowerPoint files, leading to heap memory corruption and arbitrary code execution.
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 dataall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versions= 2016CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify PowerPoint is installedCheck for PowerPoint executable. Common paths: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\POWERPNT.EXE (Office 2016/2019), C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office 365\root\Office16\POWERPNT.EXE (Microsoft 365), or C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\POWERPNT.EXE. Also check Start Menu for PowerPoint.Affected if PowerPoint executable is not found (not affected). If found, continue to version check.
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Determine installed PowerPoint versionOpen PowerPoint, go to File > Account > About PowerPoint, or right-click POWERPNT.EXE in the installation folder and select Properties > Details to view File Version. Alternatively, check registry: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\PowerPoint.Application\CurVer or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\ClickToRun\Configuration for Microsoft 365/Office 365.Affected if Cannot determine version (further investigation needed). If version is determined, compare to affected ranges.
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Compare version to affected rangesIf running Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft 365, Office 2019, Office 2021, or Office 2024: all versions are listed as affected until patched. If running PowerPoint 2016 (= version 16.0.xxxx): specific version check required. The vulnerability exists in all these versions before Microsoft security updates are applied.Affected if Running any unpatched version of PowerPoint 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, or Microsoft 365/Office 365 where the security update has not been applied.
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Check for security update presenceOpen Windows Update history (Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > View update history) and look for KB patches related to Office PowerPoint security. Or open PowerPoint, go to File > Account > Update Options > View Update History. Search for recent security updates addressing PowerPoint memory corruption vulnerabilities.Affected if No relevant PowerPoint security update found in Windows Update history within the past several months (vulnerable). A relevant security update is present (likely not affected, but verify the CVE-specific patch is included).
A user is affected if they have any version of Microsoft PowerPoint installed (2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, or Microsoft 365) that has not received the specific security update addressing this CVE.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataApply Microsoft security updates for Office PowerPoint or upgrade to a supported Microsoft Office version. Verify patch deployment across all affected endpoints.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-55120 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-55120 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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