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ExcelApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2011-0098

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2011-04-13
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
Integer signedness error in Microsoft Excel 2002 SP3, 2003 SP3, 2007 SP2, and 2010; Office 2004 and 2008 for Mac; Open XML File Format Converter for Mac; Excel Viewer SP2; and Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats SP2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via an XLS file with a large record size, aka "Excel Heap Overflow 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

Integer signedness error in Microsoft Excel allows heap overflow when parsing specially crafted XLS files with large record sizes. This memory corruption vulnerability enables remote code execution via malicious XLS file attachment or download.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates (MS11-009) to all affected Excel and Office installations. Until patched, disable Excel's macro execution and avoid opening XLS files from untrusted sources.

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:all versions= 2002= 2003= 2007= 2010
Excel ViewerApplication
Affected:all versions
OfficeApplication
Affected:= 2004= 2008
Office Compatibility PackApplication
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 if Microsoft Excel is installed
    Open Excel, go to File > Help, or check Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel for Microsoft Excel entry
    Affected if Excel is installed and version is 2002, 2003, 2007, or 2010 (or any version if all versions affected per advisory)
  2. Determine installed Excel version number
    Run 'winword.exe' or 'excel.exe' with /? switch, or check registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\[version]\Excel\InstallRoot, or right-click excel.exe > Properties > Details for File Version
    Affected if Version matches 2002 (10.x), 2003 (11.x), 2007 (12.x), or 2010 (14.x)
  3. Check for Microsoft Office installation
    Check Add/Remove Programs or registry HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\[version]\Common\InstallRoot for Office presence
    Affected if Office version is 2004 (11.x) or 2008 (12.x)
  4. Verify Microsoft Excel Viewer presence
    Check Add/Remove Programs or search for ExcelViewer.exe in Program Files
    Affected if Excel Viewer is installed (any version)
  5. Check Office Compatibility Pack for Word/Excel/PowerPoint 2007
    Check Add/Remove Programs for 'Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats'
    Affected if Compatibility Pack 2007 is installed

Environment is affected if any unpatched version of Excel (2002/2003/2007/2010), Excel Viewer, Office (2004/2008), Office Compatibility Pack (2007), or Open XML File Format Converter is installed and the MS11-009 patch has not been 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 (MS11-009) to all affected Excel and Office installations. Until patched, disable Excel's macro execution and avoid opening XLS files from untrusted sources.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Microsoft Office 2010 or later for Windows; Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac or later (note: Office 2008 for Mac and Office 2004 are no longer supported)

  1. Check current Microsoft Office/Excel version by opening Excel, clicking Help, and selecting About Microsoft Excel
  2. Apply Microsoft security update MS11-012 (if available through Windows Update or Microsoft Download Center)
  3. Alternatively, ensure Windows Update is enabled and set to automatically download and install updates
  4. Verify the patch was applied successfully by checking installed updates in Control Panel > Programs > View installed updates
  5. For Office 2004/2008 for Mac, apply the corresponding Apple security updates or migrate to newer Office versions
  6. For Excel Viewer, ensure Excel Viewer is updated through Microsoft updates or replaced with newer Office versions that receive security support
Caveat Older Office versions (2004/2008 for Mac) may lose functionality or support; ensure compatibility with existing workflows before upgrading

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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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2011-0098 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