dbcve.org
ExcelApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2011-1986

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2011-09-15
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 Excel 2003 SP3 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted spreadsheet, aka "Excel Use after Free WriteAV 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

A use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft Excel 2003 SP3 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code through a specially crafted spreadsheet file. The vulnerability occurs when Excel improperly handles objects in memory, leading to memory corruption that can be exploited for code execution.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2011-1986, or upgrade from the obsolete Excel 2003 to a supported Office version. Until patched, warn users not to open untrusted spreadsheet files from unknown 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:= 2003

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 2003 is installed
    Open Excel, then go to Help > About Microsoft Office Excel. Alternatively, open Control Panel > Programs and Features and look for Microsoft Office Excel 2003 in the installed programs list.
    Affected if Microsoft Office Excel 2003 appears in the installed programs or About dialog shows Excel 2003.
  2. Identify the exact Excel version
    In Excel 2003, click Help > About Microsoft Office Excel. Note the version number displayed (for example, 11.0.xxxx). You can also right-click the excel.exe file in its installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\) and select Properties > Version tab.
    Affected if The version begins with 11.0, confirming it is Excel 2003.
  3. Check if Service Pack 3 is applied
    In the About Microsoft Office Excel dialog, look for text indicating the Service Pack level (for example, 'Service Pack 3 (SP3)'). If not visible there, open Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs, look for Microsoft Office 2003, and check if 'Service Pack 3 for Microsoft Office 2003' is listed as installed.
    Affected if The installation shows Excel 2003 Service Pack 3 (SP3) or the version displays 11.0.8326 or higher without the SP3 patch applied.
  4. Verify the file format handler exists
    Confirm the Excel executable exists at the expected path (C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\EXCEL.EXE). This is the component that processes spreadsheet files and would be the attack surface for this vulnerability.
    Affected if EXCEL.EXE exists in the OFFICE11 directory, indicating the vulnerable component is present.

A system is affected if Microsoft Excel 2003 SP3 is installed and the security update for CVE-2011-1986 has not been applied, meaning the version still matches the unpatched 11.0 series.

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 the Microsoft security update for CVE-2011-1986, or upgrade from the obsolete Excel 2003 to a supported Office version. Until patched, warn users not to open untrusted spreadsheet files from unknown sources.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to a supported Microsoft Office version (Office 2010 or later) as Excel 2003 reached end of support in April 2014

  1. Check if Microsoft Excel 2003 SP3 is still in use and determine if extended support applies
  2. Obtain the specific Microsoft security patch for CVE-2011-1986 from Microsoft Update Catalog or Windows Update
  3. Apply the security update via Microsoft Update or by manually downloading the patch from Microsoft Download Center
  4. Verify the patch was successfully installed by checking the installed updates in Control Panel > Programs > View installed updates
  5. Restart Excel and verify normal functionality after patch application
Caveat Upgrading to newer Office may introduce interface changes, macro compatibility issues, or require file format conversion; ensure compatibility with existing workflows before migration

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-2011-1986 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