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ExcelApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2010-3235

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-10-13
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 Excel 2002 SP3 does not properly validate formula information, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted Excel document, aka "Formula Biff Record 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

CVE-2010-3235 is a memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Excel 2002 SP3 where the application fails to properly validate formula information stored in BIFF (Binary Interchange File Format) records. An attacker can exploit this by crafting a malicious Excel file containing specially malformed formula data, leading to arbitrary code execution when opened by a victim.

MitigationDeploy the Microsoft security update (KB2251388) to all systems running Excel 2002 SP3, and implement user awareness training to prevent opening untrusted Excel attachments.

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

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. Confirm Excel 2002 is installed
    Open Excel, click Help menu, select About Microsoft Office Excel. The startup screen displays the version information.
    Affected if The application is not Microsoft Excel 2002, then this CVE does not apply.
  2. Verify Service Pack 3 is installed
    In Excel About dialog, look for 'SP3' in the version string or check Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features for 'Microsoft Office XP Service Pack 3'.
    Affected if Excel 2002 without SP3 is installed, then this specific CVE (targeting SP3) does not apply.
  3. Match exact version against affected range
    The About dialog shows a 4-part version number (e.g., 10.0.6866.0). Compare this against publicly disclosed vulnerable versions for Excel 2002 SP3.
    Affected if The installed version falls within the vulnerable Excel 2002 SP3 range, the system is potentially affected.
  4. Assess file opening risk
    This vulnerability triggers when Excel parses malformed BIFF formula records in a crafted .xls file. There is no config or feature to disable; the parsing occurs automatically on file open.
    Affected if Users open untrusted or unexpected Excel files from external sources, the vulnerability can be triggered.

The environment is affected if Microsoft Excel 2002 SP3 with a vulnerable version build is installed and users open maliciously crafted Excel files containing malformed BIFF formula data.

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

Deploy the Microsoft security update (KB2251388) to all systems running Excel 2002 SP3, and implement user awareness training to prevent opening untrusted Excel attachments.

Recommended fix High confidence

Microsoft Office 365, Office 2019, or Office 2016 (any currently supported Office suite that includes Excel)

  1. 1. Obtain a currently supported Microsoft Office version (such as Office 365, Office 2019, or Office 2016) from your organization's authorized Microsoft licensing channel
  2. 2. Uninstall Microsoft Excel 2002 from the affected system
  3. 3. Install the newer version of Microsoft Office that includes Excel
  4. 4. Verify the installation was successful by opening Excel and confirming the version number
  5. 5. Apply any pending Windows Update patches for the new Office installation
  6. 6. Test that existing Excel documents open correctly in the new version
Caveat Newer Excel versions may have feature differences, macro behavior changes, and file format compatibility considerations; some legacy Excel 2002 macros or add-ins may require updates

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

Fix this in Excel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $910
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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-2010-3235 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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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