dbcve.org
ExcelApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2007-1203

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2007-05-08
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
Unspecified vulnerability in Microsoft Excel 2000 SP3, 2002 SP3, 2003 SP2, 2003 Viewer, 2004 for Mac, and 2007 allows user-assisted remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted set font value in an Excel file, which results in memory corruption.

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

Memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Excel where a specially crafted Excel file containing a malformed 'set font' value triggers heap overflow, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code. The attack requires user assistance (victim must open the malicious file).

MitigationDo not open Excel files from untrusted or unknown sources. Apply Microsoft security updates for affected Excel versions once available.

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= 2004= 2007
Excel ViewerApplication
Affected:= 2003

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. Check installed Microsoft Excel version
    Open Excel, click File > Help to view the version number, or right-click the Excel.exe file in Program Files and select Properties > Details to see the File Version
    Affected if The version displayed is 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, or 2007
  2. Check for Microsoft Excel Viewer 2003
    Look for Excel Viewer installation in Add/Remove Programs (Windows) or check Program Files for 'Excel Viewer' folder, or search for XLVIEW.exe
    Affected if Excel Viewer 2003 is installed
  3. Verify Excel executable file version
    Locate the main Excel executable (EXCEL.exe) on the system, typically in Office or Microsoft Office folder under Program Files, right-click and view Properties > Version tab to confirm the File Version
    Affected if The file version matches 9.0 (Excel 2000), 10.0 (Excel 2002), 11.0 (Excel 2003), 12.0 (Excel 2007), or corresponds to Excel 2004 (version 11.0 for Mac) or Excel Viewer 2003 (version 11.0)
  4. Assess user behavior regarding file opening
    Review whether users in the environment routinely open Excel files from external sources, email attachments, or untrusted network locations
    Affected if Users open Excel files from untrusted or unknown sources without prior validation

If Microsoft Excel version 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, or 2007, or Excel Viewer 2003 is installed and users open Excel files from untrusted sources, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.

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

Do not open Excel files from untrusted or unknown sources. Apply Microsoft security updates for affected Excel versions once available.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Microsoft Office 2007 Service Pack 3 or later / Migrate to currently supported Microsoft Office versions (365, 2021, or 2019)

  1. Identify all systems with vulnerable Excel versions (2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 for Mac, 2007, or Excel Viewer 2003)
  2. Apply Microsoft security updates released for this vulnerability (refer to Microsoft Security Bulletin MS07-015)
  3. If automatic updates are available, enable them for Microsoft Office products
  4. After patching, verify the update was successfully applied via Office update history
  5. Consider upgrading to a currently supported Microsoft Office version for continued security support
Caveat Upgrading Office versions may introduce feature changes, file format compatibility considerations, and potential macro/Add-in compatibility issues; test critical workflows before enterprise-wide deployment

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
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,560
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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-2007-1203 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