dbcve.org
ExcelApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2015-2558

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-10-14
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 2007 SP3, Excel 2010 SP2, Excel 2013 SP1, Excel 2013 RT SP1, Excel 2016, Excel for Mac 2011, Excel 2016 for Mac, Excel Viewer, Office Compatibility Pack SP3, and Excel Services on SharePoint Server 2007 SP3, 2010 SP2, and 2013 SP1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a long fileVersion element in an Office document, aka "Microsoft Office Memory Corruption 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 exists in Microsoft Excel where parsing a specially crafted Office document with an excessively long fileVersion element causes memory corruption, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code. The vulnerability affects multiple Excel versions across Windows, Mac, and SharePoint Server environments.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates for the affected Excel versions, and consider disabling Excel's file preview functionality or restricting Office document execution in high-risk environments until patches are deployed.

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= 2013= 2016
Excel For MacApplication
Affected:= 2011= 2016
Excel ViewerApplication
Affected:all versions
Office Compatibility PackApplication
Affected:all versions
Office Sharepoint ServerApplication
Affected:= 2007
Sharepoint ServerApplication
Affected:= 2010= 2013

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 installed Excel version on Windows
    Open Excel, go to File > Account > About Excel to view the version number, or view installation details in Programs and Features
    Affected if Version is 2007, 2010, 2013, or 2016 (these specific versions are affected)
  2. Check installed Excel for Mac version
    Open Excel for Mac, click Excel menu > About Microsoft Excel
    Affected if Version is 2011 or 2016 (these specific versions are affected)
  3. Check for Excel Viewer installation
    Search installed programs for Microsoft Excel Viewer, or check for ExcelView.exe in Program Files
    Affected if Excel Viewer is present (all versions are affected)
  4. Check for Office Compatibility Pack
    Search installed programs for Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word/Excel/PowerPoint File Formats
    Affected if Compatibility Pack is present (all versions are affected)
  5. Check SharePoint Server version
    Open SharePoint Central Administration > System Settings > Manage servers in this farm, or check Programs and Features for Microsoft SharePoint Server
    Affected if Version is 2007, 2010, or 2013 (these specific versions are affected)

You are affected if any of the following unpatched products are installed: Excel 2007/2010/2013/2016, Excel for Mac 2011/2016, Excel Viewer, Office Compatibility Pack, or SharePoint Server 2007/2010/2013

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 for the affected Excel versions, and consider disabling Excel's file preview functionality or restricting Office document execution in high-risk environments until patches are deployed.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence
  1. Locate and apply the appropriate Microsoft Security Bulletin MS15-116 update for your specific Microsoft Office/Excel product version from official Microsoft Update Catalog or Security Bulletin pages
  2. For Excel 2007 SP3: Apply KB3101554
  3. For Excel 2010 SP2: Apply KB3101555
  4. For Excel 2013 SP1: Apply KB3101553
  5. For Excel 2016: Apply KB3101552
  6. For Excel for Mac 2011: Apply the November 2015 update
  7. For Excel 2016 for Mac: Apply the November 2015 update
  8. For Excel Viewer: Apply KB3101556

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

Fix this in Excel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.

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-2015-2558 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