dbcve.org
ExcelApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2010-1253

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-06-08
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
Microsoft Office Excel 2002 SP3, 2007 SP1, and SP2; Office 2004 for mac; Office 2008 for Mac; Open XML File Format Converter for Mac; and Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats SP1 and SP2; allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via an Excel file with crafted DBQueryExt records that allow a function call to a "user-controlled pointer," aka "Excel ADO Object 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

Microsoft Office Excel contains a memory corruption vulnerability in the DBQueryExt records processing. When opening a specially crafted Excel file with malformed DBQueryExt data, the application allows a function call to a user-controlled pointer, leading to arbitrary code execution. This is a remote code execution vulnerability exploitable via malicious file attachment or download.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates MS10-017 (or subsequent cumulative updates) to affected Office versions. Alternatively, upgrade to Office 2007 SP3 or later, or disable Excel's data query features if unpatched systems must remain in use.

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= 2007
OfficeApplication
Affected:= 2004= 2008
Open Xml File Format ConverterApplication
Affected:all versions
Office Compatibility PackApplication
Affected:= 2007

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, or check file version of C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OfficeXX\EXCEL.EXE (XX varies: 10=2002, 12=2007)
    Affected if Version is 2002 (10.x) or 2007 (12.x) and MS10-017 patch is not applied
  2. Identify installed Microsoft Office version
    Open any Office app, go to Help > About, or check registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\X\Common\InstallRoot where X is 11 (2004) or 12 (2008)
    Affected if Version is Office 2004 (11.x) or Office 2008 (12.x) and MS10-017 patch is not applied
  3. Check if MS10-017 security update is installed
    View installed updates in Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features > View installed updates, or run: wmic qfe list | findstr /i "MS10-017"
    Affected if The MS10-017 update is NOT listed among installed updates
  4. Check for Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack
    Check registry HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\Common\InstallRoot for Compatibility Pack, or check Add/Remove Programs for 'Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats'
    Affected if Compatibility Pack version 2007 is installed and MS10-017 is not applied
  5. Check for Microsoft Open XML File Format Converter
    Check Add/Remove Programs or registry for 'Microsoft Open XML File Format Converter' installation
    Affected if Open XML File Format Converter is installed (all versions are affected per CVE)

Your environment is affected if any of Excel 2002/2007, Office 2004/2008, Office Compatibility Pack 2007, or Open XML File Format Converter is installed without the MS10-017 security update 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 MS10-017 (or subsequent cumulative updates) to affected Office versions. Alternatively, upgrade to Office 2007 SP3 or later, or disable Excel's data query features if unpatched systems must remain in use.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to Office 2010 or later (Windows) or Office 2011 for Mac or later. For continued security support, use currently supported Office versions such as Microsoft 365 Apps or Office 2021.

  1. Identify the current Microsoft Office version installed (Excel 2002, Excel 2007, Office 2004 for Mac, Office 2008 for Mac, or Office Compatibility Pack 2007)
  2. Apply Microsoft Security Bulletin MS10-038 patch for the specific affected product. For Excel 2002, apply KB983143; for Excel 2007, apply KB983158; for Office Compatibility Pack, apply KB983165; for Office 2004 for Mac, apply KB2028855; for Office 2008 for Mac, apply KB2028856
  3. Alternatively, upgrade to a currently supported version of Microsoft Office (Office 2010 or later for Windows, Office 2011 or later for Mac)
  4. Verify the patch installation was successful by checking Windows Update or the installed updates list
  5. Ensure antivirus/anti-malware software is up-to-date and scan the system for any potential compromise
Caveat Older Office files using legacy formats may have compatibility issues when opening in newer versions; however, Office Compatibility Pack or built-in compatibility modes in newer Office versions handle most legacy file formats.

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-2010-1253 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