What is CVE-2016-3278?

CVE-2016-3278 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Outlook, classified under Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2016-07-13.

How severe is CVE-2016-3278?

High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.

Buffer overflow in Microsoft Outlook

CVE-2016-3278

Microsoft Outlook 2010 SP2, 2013 SP1, 2013 RT SP1, and 2016 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted Office document, aka "Microsoft Office Memory Corruption Vulnerability."

Vulnerability class: Buffer Overflow

Published 2016-07-13 · last modified 2026-06-17.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.204 (97.4th percentile), scored 2026-10-02.

Moderate probability of exploitation in the next 30 days — watch for active exploitation reports. 97th percentile — 97.4% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.204 · newest: 0.204 · change: 0.000

Affected products

Microsoft Outlook — versions 2010, 2013, 2016
Microsoft Outlook Rt — versions 2013

Weakness classification (CWE)

CWE-119 — Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer

References

www.securitytracker.com/id/1036274 (vdb-entry)
docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2016/ms16-088 (vendor-advisory)
www.securityfocus.com/bid/91574 (vdb-entry)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-3278?: CVE-2016-3278 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Outlook, classified under Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2016-07-13.
How severe is CVE-2016-3278?: High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.