How severe is CVE-2024-38226?

CVE-2024-38226 has a CVSS score of 7.3/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2024-38226?

Affected package information for CVE-2024-38226 is not yet fully mapped. Check the official advisory links for details.

How do I fix CVE-2024-38226?

No fixed version has been published for CVE-2024-38226 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates, apply mitigations recommended by the vendor, and use O3 Security to track when a fix becomes available in your stack.

Is CVE-2024-38226 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 1 known exploit references for CVE-2024-38226, including 1 in-the-wild exploitation observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2024-38226?

CVE-2024-38226 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 1.4%, placing it in the 81th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

Is CVE-2024-38226 in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog?

Yes. CVE-2024-38226 (Microsoft Publisher Protection Mechanism Failure Vulnerability) was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2024-09-10. CISA required all US federal civilian agencies to remediate this vulnerability by 2024-10-01. The required action was: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Being listed in the KEV catalog is the strongest possible confirmation of active exploitation — treat this as a critical priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2024-38226?

CVE-2024-38226 is classified as CWE-693 (CWE-693). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

Which products and versions are affected by CVE-2024-38226?

CVE-2024-38226 affects microsoft office 2019; microsoft office long term servicing channel (1 version, e.g. 2021); microsoft publisher (1 version, e.g. 2016). Check the affected-products list on this page against your deployed version to confirm exposure.

When was CVE-2024-38226 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2024-38226 was published on September 10, 2024 and was last updated on October 28, 2025. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

CISA KEV·Added 2024-09-10 — agencies required to remediate by 2024-10-01

CVE-2024-38226

HIGH

Microsoft Publisher Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability

Published

Sep 10, 2024

Updated

Oct 28, 2025

Affected

0 pkgs

Patched

None yet

Exploits

1 known

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

1.4%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk81th percentile0.00%

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.

Description

Microsoft Publisher Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability

Affected Products

3 products · 6 configurations

Application

office 2019microsoft

all

Application

office long term servicing channelmicrosoft

1 version

2021

Application

publishermicrosoft

1 version

2016

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

Microsoft Publisher Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability

cisa.govCISASep 2024

Frequently Asked Questions

Microsoft Publisher Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2024-38226 in your stack?

O3 detects CVE-2024-38226 across dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.

Scan my stack How O3 SCA works