ExcelApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2016-7262

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2016-12-20

Patch available

A vendor patch is available. No clean upgrade release — apply the published patch.

See remediation →

97/100

Remediation priority · Urgent

In the wild High EPSS No privileges Patch available

Official description

NVD · unedited

Microsoft Excel 2007 SP3, Excel 2010 SP2, Excel 2013 SP1, Excel 2013 RT SP1, Excel 2016, Office Compatibility Pack SP3, and Excel Viewer allow user-assisted remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via a crafted cell that is mishandled upon a click, aka "Microsoft Office Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability."

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

This is a security feature bypass vulnerability in Microsoft Excel where a crafted cell, when clicked by a user, causes mishandled processing that allows arbitrary command execution. The vulnerability affects Excel 2007 SP3 through Excel 2016, Office Compatibility Pack SP3, and Excel Viewer, requiring user interaction (click) to trigger the flaw.

MitigationApply Microsoft security update MS16-148 (or subsequent cumulative updates) to all affected Excel and Office installations. Additionally, employ least-privilege user accounts and disable macro execution via Group Policy to limit attack surface.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

ExcelApplication

Affected:= 2007= 2010= 2013= 2016

Excel ViewerApplication

Affected:all versions

Office Compatibility PackApplication

Affected:all versions

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Local
Complexity: Low
Privileges: None
User interaction: Required
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

Check installed Microsoft Excel version

Open Excel, go to File > Account > About Excel, or open Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features > Microsoft Office to see the installed version and service pack level

Affected if Version is 2007 Service Pack 3, 2010, 2013, or 2016 (or any version between 2007 SP3 and 2016)
Verify MS16-148 security update installation

Open Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates, or run 'wmic qfe list' command in CMD, and search for update KB3204062 or KB3128015 (the original MS16-148 updates for Excel)

Affected if The security update is NOT installed and the Excel version falls within the affected range
Check Microsoft Excel Viewer installation

Open Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, look for 'Microsoft Excel Viewer' in the installed programs list and note the version

Affected if Microsoft Excel Viewer is installed (all versions are affected)
Check Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack installation

Open Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, look for 'Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint' and note the version

Affected if Office Compatibility Pack is installed (all versions are affected)

You are affected if any version of Excel 2007 SP3 through 2016, Excel Viewer, or Office Compatibility Pack is installed without the MS16-148 security update (KB3204062 or KB3128015) applied.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Patch available Apply the vendor patch

Vendor patch docs.microsoft.com →

Interim mitigation

Apply Microsoft security update MS16-148 (or subsequent cumulative updates) to all affected Excel and Office installations. Additionally, employ least-privilege user accounts and disable macro execution via Group Policy to limit attack surface.

Recommended fix High confidence

Microsoft Excel 2016 or Microsoft 365 with latest updates, or at minimum apply December 2016 MS16-148 security patches

Check current Microsoft Office version by opening Excel, clicking File, then Account or Help
For Excel 2007 users: Install Microsoft Security Bulletin MS16-148 patch (KB3128020) or upgrade to a newer supported version
For Excel 2010 users: Install MS16-148 patch (KB3128022) or upgrade to a newer supported version
For Excel 2013 users: Install MS16-148 patch (KB3128025) or upgrade to a newer supported version
For Excel 2016 users: Install MS16-148 patch (KB3128032) or upgrade to the latest version
Alternatively, enable Protected View in Excel: Go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Protected View and enable all three options
Ensure Microsoft Update is enabled and check for updates regularly

Caveat Minimal risk; applying official Microsoft security patches is standard maintenance. Upgrading across major versions (e.g., 2007 to 2016) may introduce UI changes but improves security and functionality.

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

Fix this in Excel Exploited in the wild — priority engagement

Consultation2.0 h
Implementation4.0 h
Testing2.0 h
Review / QA1.0 h

9.0 hours of engineering $1,600

Get it fixed fast

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

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References

Primary sources

docs.microsoft.comPatch / commit
docs.microsoft.comPatchVendor Advisory
www.securityfocus.comBroken LinkThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
www.securitytracker.comBroken LinkThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
www.cisa.govUS Government Resource
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-7262 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2016-7262?

The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.

The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
A config change or rule that shut the vector down
A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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

At a glance

Exploited in the wildOn CISA’s known-exploited list · agencies must fix by 2022-03-24

A fix existsA vendor remedy is published

Severity 7.8 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 58.2%

Affects: Excel

Remediation

Being exploited — close it fast

Fix this in Excel 9 hrs · Low

Typical engagement from $1,600

Get it fixed fast See the full breakdown ↓

This CVE is on CISA’s actively-exploited list, so the clock is real — a vetted specialist can deliver a reviewed fix for your staging environment quickly.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References