dbcve.org
ExcelApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2015-6094

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-11-11
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 2010 SP2, Excel 2013 SP1, Excel 2013 RT SP1, Excel 2016, Excel for Mac 2011, Excel 2016 for Mac, and Excel Services on SharePoint Server 2013 SP1 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted 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 memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Excel allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted Office documents. The vulnerability affects multiple Excel versions (2010 SP2, 2013 SP1/RT SP1, 2016, for Mac 2011, 2016 for Mac) and Excel Services on SharePoint Server 2013 SP1.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates for this vulnerability. Until patches are applied, exercise caution with untrusted Office documents and consider disabling macro execution.

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:= 2010= 2013= 2016
Excel For MacApplication
Affected:= 2011= 2016
Sharepoint ServerApplication
Affected:= 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 Excel version on Windows
    Open Excel, go to File > Account > About Excel. Alternatively, open Control Panel > Programs and Features, find Microsoft Excel in the list, and note the version column.
    Affected if The version displayed is 2010, 2013, or 2016 and the security update KB3101504 (or subsequent updates for this CVE) is not installed.
  2. Check Excel version on Mac
    Open Excel, click Excel menu > About Excel. Note the full version number displayed.
    Affected if The version shown is Excel for Mac 2011 or Excel for Mac 2016 and the applicable security update is not applied.
  3. Check SharePoint Server 2013 Excel Services
    Open SharePoint Central Administration > System Settings > Manage services on server. Locate Excel Services Application and verify the version. Alternatively, check installed updates via Control Panel > View update history for KB3101504.
    Affected if SharePoint Server 2013 with Excel Services is running and KB3101504 has not been installed.
  4. Confirm presence of security update
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates. Search for KB3101504 or subsequent security updates addressing this CVE. On Mac, check System Preferences > Software Update.
    Affected if The specific security update for this CVE is not listed among installed updates.

If the installed Microsoft Excel version (Windows or Mac) falls within 2010, 2013, or 2016 (or Excel for Mac 2011/2016), or if SharePoint Server 2013 with Excel Services is present, and the corresponding security update is not installed, the environment is vulnerable to this CVE.

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 this vulnerability. Until patches are applied, exercise caution with untrusted Office documents and consider disabling macro execution.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Apply MS15-131 security update (KB3101554 for Excel 2010, KB3101555 for Excel 2013, KB3101560 for Excel 2016, KB3101553 for SharePoint Server 2013)

  1. Open Microsoft Update or check for updates in your Office application
  2. Search for security update KB3101554 (Excel 2010), KB3101555 (Excel 2013), KB3101560 (Excel 2016), or KB3101553 (SharePoint Server 2013)
  3. Apply the appropriate security update for your installed version
  4. Restart the affected application
  5. Verify the update was installed successfully via Windows Update history or Office application details
Caveat Security updates typically have minimal risk; apply during normal maintenance window

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 / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.

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-2015-6094 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