dbcve.org
ExcelApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2010-0264

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-03-10
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
Microsoft Office Excel 2002 SP3, Office 2004 and 2008 for Mac, and Open XML File Format Converter for Mac do not properly parse the Excel file format, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted spreadsheet, aka "Microsoft Office Excel DbOrParamQry Record Parsing 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's parsing of the DbOrParamQry record within spreadsheet files. When Excel opens a specially crafted .xls file containing a malformed DbOrParamQry record, it fails to properly validate the data, allowing an attacker to overwrite memory and execute arbitrary code with the user's privileges.

MitigationApply Microsoft security update MS10-017 (or subsequent cumulative updates that address CVE-2010-0264). Until patched, do not open Excel files from untrusted sources. Consider disabling Excel's OLEDB external data query features as a defense-in-depth measure.

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:= 2002= 2003= 2007
OfficeApplication
Affected:= 2004= 2008
Office Compatibility PackApplication
Affected:= 2007
Office Excel ViewerApplication
Affected:all versions
Office Sharepoint ServerApplication
Affected:= 2007
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 installed Microsoft Excel version
    Open Excel, go to File > Help, or run: winword.exe /? (for Office) or excel.exe /? and note the version number displayed. Alternatively, check Control Panel > Programs and Features for the installed Microsoft Office/Excel version.
    Affected if Version is 2002 (10.x), 2003 (11.x), or 2007 (12.x)
  2. Check installed Microsoft Office version if Excel not standalone
    Check Control Panel > Programs and Features, or open any Office app, go to File > Account > About [App], to identify the Office suite version.
    Affected if Office version is 2004 (11.x for Mac), 2008 (12.x for Mac), or 2007 (12.x)
  3. Check Office Compatibility Pack version
    Check Control Panel > Programs and Features for 'Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint File Formats' version.
    Affected if Compatibility Pack version is 2007 (12.x)
  4. Check if OLEDB external data queries are enabled
    In Excel, go to Data > Get External Data > Data Sources (or legacy menu depending on version). Check if external data query connections to OLEDB/ODBC sources are allowed. This varies by Excel version but is typically found under Data > Import External Data or Connection properties.
    Affected if External data query features (OLEDB connections) are enabled and available to users
  5. Verify Excel Viewer installation
    Check Control Panel > Programs and Features for any 'Microsoft Office Excel Viewer' installation.
    Affected if Excel Viewer of any version is installed

You are affected if you have any affected Excel/Office version (2002-2008/2007) installed AND users can open .xls files containing malicious DbOrParamQry records (external data query features enable the attack surface).

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 update MS10-017 (or subsequent cumulative updates that address CVE-2010-0264). Until patched, do not open Excel files from untrusted sources. Consider disabling Excel's OLEDB external data query features as a defense-in-depth measure.

Recommended fix High confidence

Microsoft Office Excel 2002 SP3 with MS10-017 patch applied; or upgrade to Excel 2003 SP3 or Excel 2007/2010 which contain the fixed parsing code

  1. Open Microsoft Update or Windows Update to check for available security updates
  2. Locate and install MS10-017: Security Update for Microsoft Office Excel (KB980150)
  3. For Excel 2002: Install the update (or upgrade to Excel 2003/2007 which include the fix)
  4. For Excel 2003: Install the update (KB980151) or upgrade to Excel 2007
  5. For Excel 2007: Install the update (KB982133)
  6. For Office 2004/2008 for Mac: Apply the corresponding Apple security update
  7. For Office Compatibility Pack 2007: Install the update (KB982133)
  8. After patching, verify the updates were applied successfully via Windows Update history
Caveat Patching should not cause breaking changes; however, verify critical Excel templates and macros function normally after update

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

Fix this in Excel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation20.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
44.0 hours of engineering $7,680
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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-2010-0264 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