dbcve.org
ExcelApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2011-0977

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2011-02-10
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
Use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft Office XP SP3, Office 2003 SP3, Office 2007 SP2, Office 2004 and 2008 for Mac, and Open XML File Format Converter for Mac allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via malformed shape data in the Office drawing file format, aka "Microsoft Office Graphic Object Dereferencing 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

Use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft Office allows remote code execution through malformed shape data in Office drawing file format (Graphic Object). The vulnerability occurs when the Office application improperly handles graphic object dereferencing, leading to memory corruption that can be exploited to execute arbitrary code.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates (MS11-021, MS11-022, MS11-023) to all affected Office installations, and configure Office to open files in Protected View to mitigate risks from untrusted documents.

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:= 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. Confirm Excel 2007 installation
    Check the Windows registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Excel\InstallRoot or look for Excel.exe in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12 (or C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office12 on 64-bit systems)
    Affected if Excel 2007 (version 12.0) is installed on the system
  2. Identify exact Excel version
    Right-click Excel.exe, select Properties, then view the Details tab to see the File Version. Alternatively, open Excel, go to Help > About Microsoft Office Excel to see the exact version number
    Affected if The version shows 12.0.xxxx without the MS11-021, MS11-022, or MS11-023 patches applied
  3. Check for installed security updates
    Open Windows Update or Control Panel > Programs > View installed updates, and search for updates with KB numbers KB2490600 (MS11-021), KB2490593 (MS11-022), or KB2542058 (MS11-023)
    Affected if None of the three security updates are listed as installed for Excel 2007
  4. Determine exposure through file handling
    The vulnerability triggers when opening Excel files (.xls) containing malformed graphic object (shape) data. Check whether users in the environment commonly receive or open untrusted Excel files from external sources
    Affected if Users open Excel files from untrusted or external sources without Protected View enabled

The environment is affected if Excel 2007 (version 12.0) is installed without any of the MS11-021, MS11-022, or MS11-023 security updates 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 (MS11-021, MS11-022, MS11-023) to all affected Office installations, and configure Office to open files in Protected View to mitigate risks from untrusted documents.

Recommended fix High confidence

Microsoft 365, Office 2019, or Office 2016 (any supported Office version)

  1. 1. Determine the current Microsoft Office version installed by opening Excel and going to File > Help
  2. 2. Since Office 2007 reached end of life in 2017 and no longer receives security updates, plan to migrate to a supported Microsoft Office version
  3. 3. Back up all important Office documents before migration
  4. 4. Install a supported version such as Microsoft 365, Office 2019, or Office 2016
  5. 5. After migration, verify that all existing documents open correctly in the new version
  6. 6. Ensure Windows Update is enabled and configured to keep the new Office installation updated
Caveat Migration from Office 2007 to newer versions may require file format compatibility adjustments; some legacy features or macros may require updates; ensure license procurement for the new version

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-2011-0977 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