What is CVE-2016-7289?

CVE-2016-7289 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Publisher, classified under Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2016-12-20.

How severe is CVE-2016-7289?

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

Buffer overflow in Microsoft Publisher

CVE-2016-7289

Microsoft Publisher 2010 SP2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted document, aka "Microsoft Office Memory Corruption Vulnerability."

Vulnerability class: Buffer Overflow

Published 2016-12-20 · 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: 0.251 (97.9th percentile), scored 2026-10-02.

Moderate probability of exploitation in the next 30 days — watch for active exploitation reports. 98th percentile — 97.9% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.251 · newest: 0.251 · change: 0.000

Affected products

Microsoft Publisher — versions 2010

Weakness classification (CWE)

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

References

www.securityfocus.com/bid/94718 (VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory, vdb-entry)
docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2016/ms16-148 (vendor-advisory)
fortiguard.com/advisory/FG-VD-16-068
www.securitytracker.com/id/1037441 (VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory, vdb-entry)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-7289?: CVE-2016-7289 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Publisher, classified under Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2016-12-20.
How severe is CVE-2016-7289?: High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.