dbcve.org
OfficeApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2008-3005

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2008-08-12
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
Array index vulnerability in Microsoft Office Excel 2000 SP3 and 2002 SP3, and Office 2004 and 2008 for Mac allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via an Excel file with a crafted array index for a FORMAT record, aka the "Excel Index Array 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 an array index vulnerability in Microsoft Office Excel where a specially crafted Excel file containing a malicious array index in a FORMAT record triggers memory corruption, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable systems.

MitigationApply the relevant Microsoft security patches (MS08-043) or upgrade to supported Office versions; implement aggressive file screening to block untrusted Excel attachments at the email gateway.

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
OfficeApplication
Affected:= 2000= xp= 2004= 2008

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 Excel version via registry
    Check the Windows Registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\{version}\Excel\InstallRoot or use command: reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Excel\InstallRoot" (adjust version number as needed)
    Affected if The reported version matches Office 2000, Office XP, Office 2004, or Office 2008
  2. Check Excel.exe file version directly
    Locate Excel.exe (typically in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OfficeXX or C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\OfficeXX) and right-click to view Properties, or run: dir "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\*\EXCEL.EXE" /s /b
    Affected if The file version matches one of the affected Office versions (2000, XP, 2004, 2008)
  3. Verify Office update status
    Open Excel, go to Help > About Microsoft Excel, or check Windows Update history for MS08-043 security update installation
    Affected if The MS08-043 patch is NOT installed and the Office version is among the affected releases

You are affected if you are running Microsoft Office Excel version 2000, XP, 2004, or 2008 and have not installed the MS08-043 security update.

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 the relevant Microsoft security patches (MS08-043) or upgrade to supported Office versions; implement aggressive file screening to block untrusted Excel attachments at the email gateway.

Recommended fix High confidence

Microsoft 365, Office 2019/2021, or latest supported Office for Mac version

  1. 1. For Windows systems: Uninstall Microsoft Office 2000, XP, or upgrade to a supported version (Office 2007 or later, recommended Microsoft 365/Office 2019/2021)
  2. 2. For Mac systems: Uninstall Office 2004 for Mac or Office 2008 for Mac, and upgrade to a supported version (Microsoft 365, Office 2019 for Mac, or Office 2021 for Mac)
  3. 3. Download and install the upgraded Office suite from the official Microsoft website or your organization's licensed volume licensing center
  4. 4. After installation, verify that Excel opens correctly and test with previously used Excel files
  5. 5. Ensure Windows Update (for Windows) or Microsoft AutoUpdate (for Mac) is configured to receive future security updates
Caveat Upgrading from Office 2000/XP/2004/2008 to newer versions may cause compatibility issues with legacy file formats, older macros, and custom add-ins; some features may require reconfiguration

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

Fix this in Office Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-3005 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2008-3005 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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