CVE-2023-21715: Microsoft Office Publisher Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability
- Is it exploited?
Yes. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 14 Feb 2023, the same day the CVE record was published.
- How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?
- 12%
EPSS score, percentile 96.1 of all scored records
- How severe?
- 7.3 High
CVSS v3.1 base score, given by the CNA
- What should I do?
Required action (CISA), due 7 Mar 2023: Apply updates per vendor instructions.
- Which versions are affected?
Affected: 16.0.1
Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
What to do
Required action, set by CISA
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
CISA due date for this action: 7 March 2023.
Advisories and patches
Linked from CISA's catalog entry
- https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2023-21715
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-21715
Affected products and versions
As listed in the CVE record.
| Status | Versions |
|---|---|
| Affected | 16.0.1 |
Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
About this vulnerability
Microsoft Office Publisher contains a security feature bypass vulnerability that allows for a local, authenticated attack on a targeted system.
Summary: CISA's KEV catalog, as of 28 Oct 2026.
- CISA added CVE-2023-21715 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 14 Feb 2023.
- CISA's ransomware flag for this entry is "Unknown": no evidence of ransomware use in the catalog, which is not proof of none.
- The due date CISA sets for the required action is 7 Mar 2023.
- The CVE record was published on 14 Feb 2023, the same day it was added to KEV.
- The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.3 (High), given by its CNA.
- FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 12% (percentile 96.1), as of 28 Oct 2026.
- CISA's SSVC assessment in the CVE record: exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact total.
Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
Description
Microsoft Publisher Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability
Microsoft Publisher Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability
Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
Weakness
- CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization
CWE and CAPEC are maintained by MITRE; the entries are those named in the CVE record and the KEV entry.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 14 Feb 2023 | CVE record published |
| 14 Feb 2023 | Added to CISA KEV |
| 7 Mar 2023 | CISA due date for the required action |
| 19 Aug 2026 | CVE record last updated |
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