CVE-2002-1716
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 Host() function in the Microsoft spreadsheet component on Microsoft Office XP allows remote attackers to create arbitrary files using the SaveAs capability.
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 · moderate confidenceThe Host() function in the Microsoft spreadsheet component (Excel) of Office XP contains a vulnerability allowing remote attackers to create arbitrary files on the target system via the SaveAs capability. This file write vulnerability could allow an attacker to place malicious files in accessible locations.
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= 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
- None
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N
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.
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Identify if Microsoft Office XP is installedCheck the Windows Registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\10.0\InstallRoot, or examine the version of Excel.exe (typically in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\)Affected if The installed version corresponds to Microsoft Office XP (version 10.0)
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Verify the Excel component existsConfirm Excel.exe is present in the Office installation directory (commonly C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\Excel.exe)Affected if Excel.exe from Office XP is found on the system
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Determine the exact Excel build numberRight-click Excel.exe, select Properties, and check the Version tab; alternatively run 'excel.exe /?' or check registry value at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Excel\InstallRootAffected if The build matches Office XP (version 10.x) and is not upgraded to a later supported version
A system is affected if Microsoft Office XP (version 10.0) with its Excel component is installed, as the Host() function vulnerability exists in this specific version and older unpatched releases.
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 dataSince Microsoft Office XP is end-of-life and no longer receives security updates, the primary remediation is upgrading to a currently supported version of Microsoft Office. If upgrade is not immediately feasible, consider restricting access to untrusted Excel files and disabling macros.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2002-1716 — 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-2002-1716 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
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- 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