CVE-2015-6040

Microsoft Excel 2007 SP3, Excel 2010 SP2, Excel for Mac 2011, Excel 2016 for Mac, Office Compatibility Pack SP3, and Excel Viewer allow remote attackers to…

published December 9, 2015

CVSS
—
EPSS
14%
Percentile
96.5
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

⚠️ A crafty Office document could unleash chaos! With this Microsoft Excel memory corruption vulnerability, simply opening a manipulated file could execute arbitrary code, putting your data at risk. 🔥 Think of it like a restaurant that serves a dish with a hidden ingredient that can cause chaos in the kitchen — one wrong bite and suddenly the whole operation is in disarray! An attacker could send you a seemingly harmless Excel file, and once you open it, they could take control of your computer. This could lead to data theft, unauthorized access, or even running destructive commands without your knowledge!

Put simply

Think of it like a restaurant that serves a dish with a hidden ingredient that can cause chaos in the kitchen — one wrong bite and suddenly the whole operation is in disarray! This vulnerability arises from how Microsoft Excel handles memory, allowing attackers to craft documents that exploit memory corruption to execute arbitrary code upon opening the file.

What to do

An attacker could send you a seemingly harmless Excel file, and once you open it, they could take control of your computer. This could lead to data theft, unauthorized access, or even running destructive commands without your knowledge! Make sure to update to the latest version of Microsoft Office immediately, as these older versions are vulnerable. Limit the use of Excel for untrusted documents and implement strict email filtering policies to catch suspicious attachments. You've got this! With a few quick updates and smart practices, you can keep your Excel files safe and secure. 🛡️

The record
Technical detail
CVSS
Not scored
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.13601 · 96.5th percentile
Published
2015-12-09T11:00Z
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 09 DEC 11:00Z
    Microsoft Excel 2007 SP3, Excel 2010 SP2, Excel for Mac 2011, Excel 2016 for Mac, Office Compatibility Pack SP3, and Excel Viewer allow remote attackers to…
    cvelistv5