Microsoft Office for Mac – CVE-2026‑81959 Remote Code Execution Vulnerability Fixed

Microsoft Office for Mac contains a remote code execution vulnerability (CVE‑2026‑81959) that can be triggered by a crafted Excel file. The flaw allows an attacker to run arbitrary code on the victim’s machine.

What happened

The vulnerability was identified in Excel for Mac and is exploitable via malicious spreadsheet content. No exploitation has been publicly reported yet, but the risk is high due to the ability to execute code without user interaction.

Affected

• Microsoft Office for Mac – all versions that include Excel (including Office 365, Office 2021, and earlier releases)
• Other Microsoft Office products (Windows, iOS, Android) are not impacted.

What to do

Office for Mac users must install the latest security update. The update is available through the standard Mac App Store or via the Microsoft Update Catalog. Verify the update contains the fix for CVE‑2026‑81959 before deployment.

Additional Resources

See Microsoft’s release notes for detailed version information and download links: Release Notes.