CVE-2023-7101

Spreadsheet::ParseExcel: Remote Code Execution

As of , CVE-2023-7101 in Spreadsheet::ParseExcel is on CISA's list of exploited vulnerabilities: CISA listed it on . Our patch-first group: Patch this week.

Exploited
Yes: CISA listed it on 2 January 2024
US federal deadline
23 January 202421 days after CISA listed it. US federal civilian agencies must fix it by then.
Used in ransomware campaigns
Not known to CISA
EPSS score
0.19Higher than 97% of the CVEs EPSS scores. EPSS estimates the chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days.
EPSS when listed
0.00 on 2 January 2024EPSS on the day CISA listed it.
Public exploit
1 Metasploit module
Fix
Vendor advice: metacpan.orgLinks below, from CISA's entry.

What CISA says to do

Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

CISA's required action

  • metacpan.orgThis vulnerability affects a common open-source component, third-party library, or a protocol used by different products. Please check…

What the flaw is

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.

CISA's 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.

The CVE record's description, from Mandiant

CVE published
24 December 2023
Assigned by
Mandiant
CVSS
7.8 High (CVSS 3.1, from CISA-ADP)
CWE-95
Improper Neutralization of Directives in Dynamically Evaluated Code ('Eval Injection')
CISA SSVC, exploitation
active
CISA SSVC, automatable
no
CISA SSVC, technical impact
total

Timeline

  1. The CVE record was published.
  2. CISA added it to its list of exploited vulnerabilities.
  3. The US federal deadline to fix it.

Public exploits

Facts from Metasploit's module list and Exploit-DB's index; we never copy exploit code.

  • Metasploit: Barracuda ESG Spreadsheet::ParseExcel Arbitrary Code Executionexploit module, rank excellent

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