Microsoft Word Update Crashes Automated Document Workflows

Microsoft has acknowledged an issue affecting Word in Microsoft Office version 2608, build 20326.x. The application can close unexpectedly when third-party document or template-management software creates and populates a document template. Microsoft’s Word development team is investigating, but the company has not provided a temporary workaround.

The failure is likely to be most disruptive for organisations that depend on automated document-generation workflows. Systems used to produce customer-support documents, operational instructions and other templated material may be unable to complete those tasks after the update. The supplied report does not indicate that the issue is a security vulnerability or that it is being exploited.

Microsoft has advised affected users, according to the report, not to repeatedly retry the automated process. Suggested alternatives include using Word’s built-in templates or creating the required files on an unaffected computer before transferring them to the affected workstation for further editing.