CVEs / CVE-2023-7101
CVE-2023-7101: Spreadsheet::ParseExcel Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
- Known exploited in the CISA KEV catalog since 2 Jan 2024
- high 7.8 CVSS 3.1 (NVD)
- EPSS 18.9% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 97% of CVEs (30 Oct 2026)
- Last changed at its sources
Are you affected? Check your servers with Stackurity: it lists the software on each server and the vulnerabilities to fix first.
Check your servers with Stackurity Already using Stackurity? Search for CVE-2023-7101
Summary
Spreadsheet::ParseExcel contains a remote code execution vulnerability due to passing unvalidated input from a file into a string-type “eval”. Specifically, the issue stems from the evaluation of Number format strings within the Excel parsing logic.
Description
Spreadsheet::ParseExcel version 0.65 is a Perl module used for parsing Excel files. Spreadsheet::ParseExcel is vulnerable to an arbitrary code execution (ACE) vulnerability due to passing unvalidated input from a file into a string-type “eval”. Specifically, the issue stems from the evaluation of Number format strings (not to be confused with printf-style format strings) within the Excel parsing logic.
Affected and fixed versions
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Douglas Wilson Spreadsheet::ParseExcel | 0.65 | — |
| jmcnamara spreadsheet\ | from 0.41, up to and including 0.65 | — |
| debian debian_linux | 10 | — |
| fedoraproject fedora | 38 | — |
| fedoraproject fedora | 39 | — |
Exploitation
| In CISA KEV since | 2 Jan 2024 |
|---|---|
| Due date for US federal agencies | 23 Jan 2024 |
| Used in ransomware campaigns | Unknown |
| Required action | Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. |
Severity
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.8 highCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HScored by NVD |
|---|---|
| Weakness | CWE-95, CWE-94 |
References
- CVE-2023-7101 on NVD
- CVE-2023-7101 in the CISA KEV catalog
- https://metacpan.org/dist/Spreadsheet-ParseExcel (cited by CISA)
- https://www.barracuda.com/company/legal/esg-vulnerability (cited by CISA)
- CVE-2023-7101 on OSV
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/12/29/4 Mailing List, Patch, Third Party Advisory
- https://github.com/jmcnamara/spreadsheet-parseexcel/blob/c7298592e102a375d43150cd002feed806557c15/lib/Spreadsheet/ParseExcel/Utility.pm#L171 Product
- https://github.com/mandiant/Vulnerability-Disclosures/blob/master/2023/MNDT-2023-0019.md Third Party Advisory
- https://https://github.com/haile01/perl_spreadsheet_excel_rce_poc Broken Link, Third Party Advisory
- https://https://github.com/jmcnamara/spreadsheet-parseexcel/commit/bd3159277e745468e2c553417b35d5d7dc7405bc Broken Link, Patch
- https://https://metacpan.org/dist/Spreadsheet-ParseExcel Broken Link, Product
- https://https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-7101 Broken Link, Third Party Advisory
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/12/msg00025.html Mailing List
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/IFEHKULQRVXHIV7XXK2RGD4VQN6Y4CV5/ Broken Link, Mailing List
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/M2FIWDHRYTAAQLGM6AFOZVM7AFZ4H2ZR/ Broken Link, Mailing List
- https://security.metacpan.org/2024/02/10/vulnerable-spreadsheet-parsing-modules.html Third Party Advisory
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-7101 US Government Resource
Sources
Exploitation status from the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. EPSS scores from FIRST. Descriptions, severity and references from the National Vulnerability Database. Open-source package versions from OSV (CC-BY 4.0). Text is shown as each source states it; Stackurity does not edit it. Check the vendor's advisory before acting.
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.