CVE-2002-0618
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedThe Macro Security Model in Microsoft Excel 2000 and 2002 for Windows allows remote attackers to execute code in the Local Computer zone by embedding HTML scripts within an Excel workbook that contains an XSL stylesheet, aka "Excel XSL Stylesheet Script Execution".
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceThis vulnerability in Microsoft Excel 2000/2002 allows remote code execution through the Local Computer zone by embedding HTML scripts within an Excel workbook that contains an XSL stylesheet. The attack exploits the Macro Security Model, bypassing normal security restrictions to execute arbitrary code with Local Computer zone privileges.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 2000= 2002= 2000= xpCVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify installed Excel versionOpen Excel, go to Help > About Microsoft Excel, or check Add/Remove Programs for Microsoft Office installation. Look for version number 2000 (9.0) or 2002 (10.0).Affected if Version shows Excel 2000 (version 9.0) or Excel 2002 (version 10.0)
-
Check Microsoft Office versionVerify if the system has Office 2000 or Office XP installed via Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs, looking for Microsoft Office 2000 or Microsoft Office XP Standard/Professional.Affected if Office 2000 or Office XP is installed
-
Verify XSL stylesheet support is presentExcel 2000/2002 support XSL transformations when importing XML data. Check if the application can open or process .xsl or .xslt files, or examine workbook files (.xls) for embedded XSLT instructions.Affected if XSL stylesheet processing is available in the Excel installation
-
Confirm macro execution capability existsCheck if macros can run by opening Excel and examining Tools > Macro > Security. The vulnerability exploits the Macro Security Model, so the presence of macro functionality is required.Affected if Macro security settings are configurable and macro execution is possible
A system is affected if it runs Microsoft Excel 2000 or Excel 2002 (or Office 2000/XP) and processes workbooks containing XSL stylesheets with embedded HTML script content.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataApply the relevant Microsoft security patches from 2002 (MS02-031 or subsequent updates), or upgrade to a supported Excel version. Disable automatic file opening and enable macro notifications as compensating controls.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2002-0618 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2002-0618 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data