CVE-2026-35453CWE-79

PhpSpreadsheet XSS via number format text substitution in HTML Writer

Medium · published May 5, 2026

CVSS v4.0
4.8
EPSS
0%
Percentile
14.1
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

PhpSpreadsheet is a library for reading and writing spreadsheet files. In versions 1.30.3 and earlier, 2.0.0 through 2.1.15, 2.2.0 through 2.4.4, 3.3.0 through 3.10.4, and 4.0.0 through 5.6.0, the HTML Writer skips htmlspecialchars() output escaping when a cell uses a custom number format containing the @ text placeholder with additional literal text (e.g., @ "items"). The escaping is only applied when the formatted output strictly equals the original cell value. When the format code contains @ with quoted literal text, the formatter substitutes the raw cell value into the format string and returns early without invoking the escaping callback. An attacker who can control cell content in a spreadsheet processed by the HTML Writer can inject arbitrary HTML and JavaScript into the generated output. This issue has been fixed in versions 1.30.4, 2.1.16, 2.4.5, 3.10.5, and 5.7.0.

The record
Technical detail
CVSS v4.0
4.8 · MEDIUM
Vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:A/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N
EPSS
0.00239 · 14.1th percentile
Weakness
CWE-79 · Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Published
2026-05-05T19:39Z
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 05 MAY 19:39Z
    PhpSpreadsheet XSS via number format text substitution in HTML Writer
    cvelistv5