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ExcelApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2008-4266

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2008-12-10
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, 2002 SP3, and 2003 SP3; Excel Viewer 2003 Gold and SP3; Office 2004 and 2008 for Mac; and Open XML File Format Converter for Mac allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via an Excel spreadsheet with a NAME record that contains an invalid index value, which triggers stack corruption, aka "Excel Global Array Memory Corruption 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 a specially crafted spreadsheet containing a NAME record with an invalid index value causes stack corruption. The stack corruption can be leveraged by attackers to execute arbitrary code on the victim's machine when the malicious Excel file is opened.

MitigationApply Microsoft security patches for this vulnerability; until patched, avoid opening Excel files from untrusted sources and consider disabling macro execution through Office Trust Center settings.

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
Excel ViewerApplication
Affected:= 2003
OfficeApplication
Affected:= 2004= 2008
Open Xml File Format ConverterApplication
Affected:all versions

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 Microsoft Excel version
    Open Excel, go to Help > About Microsoft Excel, or run 'winword.exe /?' from command line, or check Add/Remove Programs for installed Microsoft Office components
    Affected if Version is 2000, 2002, or 2003 (these versions have no patch and are vulnerable)
  2. Check Microsoft Office version
    Open any Office app, go to Help > About, or check Add/Remove Programs for Microsoft Office installation
    Affected if Version is 2004 or 2008 (Mac versions, vulnerable if Excel component is present)
  3. Check Excel Viewer installation
    Check Add/Remove Programs or Program Files for 'Microsoft Office Excel Viewer'
    Affected if Excel Viewer 2003 is installed (vulnerable unpatched version)
  4. Check Open Xml File Format Converter
    Check Add/Remove Programs or Program Files for 'Microsoft Open XML File Format Converter'
    Affected if Any version of Open XML File Format Converter is installed (all versions affected)
  5. Assess file exposure risk
    Review recent Excel file openings from email attachments, downloads, or external sources; check browser download folders and email attachments
    Affected if User has opened untrusted or unsolicited Excel files since the vulnerability disclosure date (December 2008)

System is affected if any vulnerable Excel/Office/Viewer version from 2000-2008 is installed AND the user may have opened untrusted Excel files, as exploitation requires opening a specially crafted malicious spreadsheet.

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 patches for this vulnerability; until patched, avoid opening Excel files from untrusted sources and consider disabling macro execution through Office Trust Center settings.

Recommended fix High confidence

Microsoft Office Excel 2000 Service Pack 4, Excel 2002 Service Pack 3 with MS08-057, Excel 2003 Service Pack 3 with MS08-057, Office 2008 for Mac Service Pack 2 or later, Office 2011 or newer for Mac

  1. Locate and download the appropriate security update for your Microsoft Office Excel version from the Microsoft Download Center or Windows Update
  2. For Excel 2000: Apply security update KB958372 (part of MS08-057) or upgrade to Excel 2000 Service Pack 4
  3. For Excel 2002: Apply security update KB958372 (part of MS08-057)
  4. For Excel 2003: Apply security update KB958372 (part of MS08-057)
  5. For Excel Viewer 2003: Apply security update KB958372
  6. For Office 2004 for Mac: Apply Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Security Update 8.1 or upgrade to newer version
  7. For Office 2008 for Mac: Apply Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Security Update 12.1.0 or upgrade to newer version
  8. For Open XML File Format Converter: Upgrade to the latest version or use Microsoft Office for Mac 2008 or newer
Caveat Standard Office patches rarely introduce breaking changes but test critical documents in a non-production environment before wide deployment

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

Fix this in Excel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2008-4266 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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