dbcve.org
WordApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2003-0821

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2003-12-15
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, and 2002 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a spreadsheet with a malicious XLM (Excel 4) macro that bypasses the macro security model.

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 confidence

A vulnerability in Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, and 2002 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a spreadsheet containing a malicious XLM (Excel 4) macro that bypasses the macro security model built into those versions.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched or current version of Microsoft Excel. Alternatively, disable macro execution or implement aggressive macro blocking at the enterprise level for legacy systems that cannot be upgraded.

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
WordApplication
Affected:= 97= 98= 2000= 2002
WorksApplication
Affected:= 2001= 2002= 2003= 2004

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed Microsoft Excel version
    Open Excel, click Help > About Microsoft Excel, or run 'winver' or check Add/Remove Programs for Microsoft Excel version
    Affected if Version is 97, 2000, or 2002 (these are the vulnerable versions)
  2. Verify macro security settings
    In Excel, go to Tools > Macro > Security (or File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Macro Settings)
    Affected if Macro security is set to Low, Medium, or Disabled (rather than High or Disable all without notification)
  3. Confirm XLM macro execution capability
    Attempt to open a test spreadsheet with an XLM macro, or check if Excel can process Excel 4.0 macro sheets (file extension .XLW)
    Affected if Excel can execute XLM macros and the macro security model does not block them

You are affected if you are running Excel version 97, 2000, or 2002 with macro execution enabled, as the vulnerability allows XLM macros to bypass the built-in security model.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to a patched or current version of Microsoft Excel. Alternatively, disable macro execution or implement aggressive macro blocking at the enterprise level for legacy systems that cannot be upgraded.

Fix this in Word Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,320
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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2003-0821 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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