dbcve.org
ExcelApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2014-6360

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2014-12-11
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 2007 SP3, Excel 2010 SP2, and Office Compatibility Pack allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted Office document, aka "Global Free Remote Code Execution in Excel 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

This is a remote code execution vulnerability in Microsoft Excel 2007 SP3, Excel 2010 SP2, and Office Compatibility Pack. Attackers can execute arbitrary code by tricking users into opening specially crafted malicious Office documents.

MitigationApply Microsoft security patches for this vulnerability (MS14-080) and enable Protected View to open potentially malicious Office documents in an isolated sandbox.

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= 2010
Office Compatibility PackApplication
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 Microsoft Excel version
    Open Excel, go to File > Help, and look for the version number under 'About Microsoft Excel'. Alternatively, run 'winword.exe /?' or check Add/Remove Programs for installed Microsoft Office components.
    Affected if The installed version is Excel 2007 or Excel 2010 (any sub-version).
  2. Check Office Compatibility Pack version
    Open Word or Excel and look for 'Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint file formats' in the installed programs list. Use Control Panel > Programs and Features to view installed software.
    Affected if Office Compatibility Pack is installed (any version).
  3. Determine if Office is part of an Office suite
    Check if Excel 2007/2010 was installed as part of a larger Microsoft Office suite (such as Office Professional Plus). In Programs and Features, look for the parent Office installation.
    Affected if Excel 2007 or 2010 is installed as a standalone application or as part of any Office suite version.
  4. Verify file opening behavior
    Attempt to open a test .xls or .xlsx file. Note whether files open directly in Excel without any sandbox or restricted view prompts.
    Affected if Documents open in full edit mode without any restricted viewing environment (this indicates potential exposure to malicious document payloads).

You are affected if you have Excel 2007, Excel 2010, or the Office Compatibility Pack installed, and you open untrusted Office documents without additional security filtering.

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 patches for this vulnerability (MS14-080) and enable Protected View to open potentially malicious Office documents in an isolated sandbox.

Recommended fix High confidence

Excel 2007 with SP3 + Security Update 2965281; Excel 2010 with SP2 + Security Update 2965281; Office Compatibility Pack with corresponding Security Update from MS14-040

  1. 1. Determine the current installed version of Microsoft Excel or Office by opening Excel, clicking File > Account > About Excel
  2. 2. For Excel 2007 users: Install Excel 2007 Service Pack 3 if not already installed, then apply Security Update 2965281
  3. 3. For Excel 2010 users: Install Excel 2010 Service Pack 2 if not already installed, then apply Security Update 2965281
  4. 4. For Office Compatibility Pack users: Apply the security update for your respective Office version (2007 or 2010) as listed in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS14-040
  5. 5. Restart Excel and verify the update was installed successfully via File > Account > Update Options > View Update History
  6. 6. Ensure Office Automatic Updates are enabled to receive future security patches
Caveat Minimal risk - security update only; ensure compatibility with existing workflows before deploying organization-wide

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

Fix this in Excel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,690
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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-2014-6360 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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