CVE-2025-21362
Published: 14 January 2025
Summary
CVE-2025-21362 is a high-severity Use After Free (CWE-416) vulnerability in Microsoft Office Long Term Servicing Channel. Its CVSS base score is 8.4 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Client Execution (T1203); ranked in the top 29.6% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 SI-2 (Flaw Remediation) and RA-5 (Vulnerability Monitoring and Scanning).
Threat & Defense at a Glance
Threat & Defense Details
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI
Flaw remediation directly prevents exploitation of CVE-2025-21362 by requiring timely application of Microsoft's security update for the use-after-free vulnerability in Excel.
Memory protection techniques like ASLR, DEP, and control flow guard mitigate exploitation of the use-after-free error in Excel by complicating arbitrary code execution.
Vulnerability scanning and monitoring identifies the presence of CVE-2025-21362 in deployed Excel instances, enabling targeted remediation.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft Excel enabling arbitrary code execution in the client application context directly maps to Exploitation for Client Execution.
NVD Description
Microsoft Excel Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2025-21362 is a remote code execution vulnerability affecting Microsoft Excel. It stems from a use-after-free error (CWE-416) and carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.4 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H). The vulnerability was published on January 14, 2025.
An attacker with local access to the target system can exploit this vulnerability with low complexity and no required privileges or user interaction. Successful exploitation allows the attacker to achieve high-impact remote code execution, potentially compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability by executing arbitrary code in the context of the Excel process.
Microsoft's Security Response Center provides detailed guidance and patch information in their update guide at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2025-21362, recommending affected users apply the available security updates to mitigate the issue.
Details
- CWE(s)