Threats / Microsoft / CVE-2023-36761
CVE-2023-36761
· EUVD no mirror located
· GCVE no mirror located
Verified 2026-08-04
Microsoft Word vulnerability
Microsoft Word contains an unspecified vulnerability allowing information disclosure. The vulnerability has been exploited in the wild.
Verdict
Today item — known-exploited.
An information disclosure flaw in Microsoft Word enables attackers to access sensitive data. Active exploitation in the wild indicates immediate risk to users. Patch deployment is critical.
CISA KEV Yes · 2023-09-125EPSS 0.18959 (verify live)6CVSS 6.53CISA SSVC Exploitation: active · Automatable: no · Impact: total4
01
Is it exploitable?
— the evidence, ranked above the scoreReported exploitation
5 independent public reports of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2023-09-12).
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.18959 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
CVSS 6.5 (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N/E:P/RL:O/RC:C) · Affected: Microsoft, Word. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.CVSS — CNA-assigned (CVE.org), version 3.1, set at disclosure.
Weakness (CWE)
Mapped to CWE-20 Improper Input Validation.CWE — CNA-assigned (CVE.org); the weakness class drives how the flaw is exploited.
CISA SSVC (triage disposition)
Exploitation: active · Automatable: no · Technical Impact: totalCISA's own stakeholder-specific triage inputs, published in the CVE record (CISA Coordinator role). NOTE: this is CISA's three decision points; the final Act/Attend/Track decision also requires a Mission & Well-being input not published here, so no overall decision is asserted.
Currency of the record
CISA added this to its KEV catalog the same day the CVE record was published.KEV lag = CISA-KEV dateAdded − CVE.org datePublished; a floor on how long the known-exploited flaw sat in the public record before the federal catalog listed it. Severity/weakness here is CNA- or CISA-assigned (current at disclosure), independent of NVD's analysis backlog.
02
Who’s exploiting it?
— attribution turns risk into urgencyAttribution not established
No confirmed (advisory-backed) threat-actor attribution is established for this record. Absence of a named actor is not absence of compromise — see Coverage & confidence.
03
Why it matters
— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board1
Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1
Attacker
I craft a malicious Word document that exploits the information disclosure vulnerability.
Business
Sensitive corporate documents, trade secrets, or personal data become accessible to unauthorized parties.
2
Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2
Attacker
I distribute the weaponized document via email or file-sharing platforms to target users.
Business
Widespread exposure of confidential information across the organization increases compliance and reputational risk.
3
Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3
Attacker
I extract disclosed information for further reconnaissance or targeted attacks.
Business
Compromised data becomes leverage for follow-on attacks, fraud, or competitive intelligence theft.
04
What to do
— defensible action- Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
05