Microsoft releases critical security updates for Office products, including SharePoint Server and Outlook in July 2024 Patch Tuesday

Microsoft has issued a series of important security updates for Office products as part of the July 2024 Patch Tuesday release. These updates address several vulnerabilities across various Office applications and services, aiming to enhance the security posture of Microsoft’s productivity suite.

Microsoft Office important security updates for Office products

The security patches cover a wide range of Microsoft Office products, including:

• Office 2016
• Outlook 2016
• SharePoint Server Subscription Edition
• SharePoint Server 2019
• SharePoint Enterprise Server 2016

SharePoint Server

One of the most critical vulnerabilities addressed is CVE-2024-38023, a remote code execution flaw in Microsoft SharePoint Server. This vulnerability is rated as Critical, indicating its potential for severe impact if exploited. Attackers could potentially execute malicious code on affected SharePoint servers, compromising the integrity and confidentiality of sensitive data.

Microsoft Office 2016

Another notable vulnerability, CVE-2024-38021, affects Microsoft Office 2016. This remote code execution vulnerability, while rated as Important rather than Critical, still poses a significant risk. Microsoft warns that exploitation could allow an attacker to gain elevated privileges, including write, read, and delete functionality. The company notes that exploitation requires creating a malicious link that can bypass the Protected View Protocol, likely through a phishing attack.

Outlook 2016

For Outlook 2016 users, Microsoft has patched CVE-2024-38020, a spoofing vulnerability rated as Moderate. While less severe than the other flaws, this issue could still be exploited to deceive users through manipulated email content.

Security experts recommend that organizations and individual users apply these security updates for Office products as soon as possible to mitigate potential risks. IT administrators should prioritize testing and deploying these updates, especially for critical infrastructure running SharePoint Server installations.

As always, users are advised to exercise caution when opening email attachments or clicking on links, even from seemingly trusted sources, to prevent potential exploitation of these vulnerabilities before patches are applied.