Is CVE-2026-40361 actively exploited?

No active exploitation of CVE-2026-40361 has been confirmed so far. Continue monitoring, as exploit status can change.

Can CVE-2026-40361 be exploited remotely?

No. CVE-2026-40361 requires local access to exploit.

What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-40361?

CVE-2026-40361 has a CVSS score of 8.4 (HIGH).

HOME VULNERABILITIESCVE-2026-40361

HIGH

CVE-2026-40361

CWE-416Published: May 12, 2026· Updated: May 13, 2026

8.4

CVSS v3.1

EPSS:0.06%probability of exploitation in 30 daysPercentile:18.0th

Official Description

Use after free in Microsoft Office Word allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code locally.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2026-40361 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 8.4.

From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-416): Use-after-free vulnerabilities involve accessing memory after it has been freed, often enabling arbitrary code execution.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability

Attack VectorLocal

Attack ComplexityLow

Privileges Req.None

User InteractionNone

ScopeUnchanged

Impact

ConfidentialityHigh

IntegrityHigh

AvailabilityHigh

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

Mentioned vendors (from description):

Microsoft

CPE data not yet available in NVD for this CVE.

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time

Exploit-DB

Offensive Security exploit database

GitHub PoC Search

Community PoC repositories

Rapid7 / Metasploit

Metasploit module search

PacketStorm

Security advisories & exploits

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News & Research Mentioning CVE-2026-40361

Microsoft Patches Critical Zero-Click Outlook Vulnerability Threatening Enterprises

SecurityWeek· May 13, 2026

CVE-2026-40361 is similar to a vulnerability found a decade ago, BadWinmail, which at the time was dubbed an “enterprise killer”. The post Microsoft Patches Critical Zero-Click Outlook Vulnerability Threatening Enterprises appeared first on SecurityWeek. [xlite_meta score:50 src:SecurityWeek xlite_fp:c599d5f823ae29aa8a0b8b59a5a3ce66d1bce4e05b85f09c3b3fa890e5594d85]