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ExcelApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2007-0029

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2007-01-09
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 2000 SP3, 2002 SP3, 2003 SP2, 2004 for Mac, and v.X for Mac allows user-assisted remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a malformed string, aka "Excel Malformed String Vulnerability."

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

This is a memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Excel where parsing a malformed string in a specially crafted .xls file can lead to arbitrary code execution. The attack requires user interaction (opening the malicious file), making it a user-assisted remote code execution vulnerability affecting multiple Excel versions for both Windows and Mac platforms.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates for this vulnerability (MS07-002) and implement user training to avoid opening Excel files from untrusted sources. Enterprise environments should deploy email filtering and endpoint protection to block malicious attachments.

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
ExcelApplication
Affected:= 2000= 2002= 2003
OfficeApplication
Affected:= 2000= xp= 2003= 2004= v.x
Excel ViewerApplication
Affected:= 2003
WorksApplication
Affected:= 2004= 2005

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
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

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, go to Help > About Microsoft Excel. Alternatively, open Control Panel > Programs and Features, locate Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Office, and note the version number.
    Affected if The version is 2000, 2002, or 2003 for Excel standalone; or Office versions 2000, XP (2002), or 2003.
  2. Identify installed Microsoft Office version
    Open any Office application (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), go to Help > About. Or check Control Panel > Programs and Features for Microsoft Office installation.
    Affected if The Office suite version is 2000, XP (2002), 2003, 2004 (Mac), or v.x (Mac).
  3. Check for Microsoft Excel Viewer
    Verify if Microsoft Excel Viewer 2003 is installed by checking Programs and Features or the installed applications list.
    Affected if Excel Viewer 2003 is installed.
  4. Check for Microsoft Works
    Check Programs and Features for Microsoft Works installations, noting versions 2004 or 2005.
    Affected if Microsoft Works version 2004 or 2005 is installed.
  5. Determine if system receives security updates
    Check Windows Update history or examine installed updates for MS07-002 security patch. In corporate environments, verify with system administrator if the MS07-002 patch has been deployed.
    Affected if The MS07-002 patch has NOT been installed and the installed product version matches one of the affected versions listed above.

You are affected if you are running any of the listed vulnerable versions (Excel 2000/2002/2003, Office 2000/XP/2003/2004/v.x, Excel Viewer 2003, or Works 2004/2005) and the MS07-002 security update has not been applied.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Microsoft security updates for this vulnerability (MS07-002) and implement user training to avoid opening Excel files from untrusted sources. Enterprise environments should deploy email filtering and endpoint protection to block malicious attachments.

Recommended fix High confidence

Microsoft Office 2007 Service Pack 3 or later / Microsoft 365 (supported versions that include the fix for this vulnerability)

  1. 1. Identify all systems running affected Excel versions (2000, 2002, 2003), Office versions (2000, XP, 2003, 2004 for Mac), Excel Viewer 2003, or Works 2004/2005
  2. 2. Backup all critical data on affected systems
  3. 3. Obtain and apply the original Microsoft security update (MS07-002 or subsequent relevant security bulletin) for the specific affected product and version
  4. 4. After patching, verify the patch was successfully applied by checking the installed updates
  5. 5. Alternatively, upgrade to a supported Microsoft Office version (Office 2007 Service Pack 3 or later, or Microsoft 365) that includes the security fix
  6. 6. Test that Excel functions properly after the update or upgrade
Caveat Upgrading from very old Office versions may require file format compatibility testing; macro and add-in compatibility should be verified

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Excel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2007-0029 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