PhpSpreadsheet: CPU Denial of Service via Unbounded Row Number in XLSX Row Dimensions
PhpSpreadsheet is a pure PHP library for reading and writing spreadsheet files. Prior to 1.30.4, 2.1.16, 2.4.5, 3.10.5, and 5.7.0, the XLSX reader's ColumnAndRowAttributes::readRowAttributes() method reads row numbers from XML attributes without validating them against the spreadsheet maximum row limit (AddressRange::MAX_ROW = 1,048,576). An attacker can craft a minimal XLSX file (~1.6KB) containing a <row r="999999999"/> element that inflates cachedHighestRow to 999,999,999, causing any subsequent row iteration to attempt ~1 billion loop cycles and exhaust CPU resources. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.30.4, 2.1.16, 2.4.5, 3.10.5, and 5.7.0.
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
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We use this product, ask for help- Published
- May 12, 2026
- Updated
- Jun 17, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.5% · 39th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-770
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Report tools
Action score
30
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 30 / 40 · 7.5 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.5%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- proof of concept
- Automatable
- yes
- Technical impact
- partial
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- —
- CNA · GitHub_M
- 7.5
- NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Affected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| phpoffice | phpspreadsheet | cpe:2.3:a:phpoffice:phpspreadsheet |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- phpoffice phpspreadsheetbefore 1.30.4
- phpoffice phpspreadsheet2.0.0 and later · before 2.1.16
- phpoffice phpspreadsheet2.2.0 and later · before 2.4.5
- phpoffice phpspreadsheet3.3.0 and later · before 3.10.5
- phpoffice phpspreadsheet4.0.0 and later · before 5.7.0
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (GitHub_M). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
PHPOffice PhpSpreadsheet
- < 1.30.4, >= 2.0.0, < 2.1.16, >= 2.2.0, < 2.4.5, >= 3.3.0, < 3.10.5, >= 4.0.0, < 5.7.0affected
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Packagist | phpoffice/phpspreadsheet | from 2.0.0 · before 2.1.16 | 2.1.16 |
| Packagist | phpoffice/phpspreadsheet | from 2.2.0 · before 2.4.5 | 2.4.5 |
| Packagist | phpoffice/phpspreadsheet | from 3.3.0 · before 3.10.5 | 3.10.5 |
| Packagist | phpoffice/phpspreadsheet | from 4.0.0 · before 5.7.0 | 5.7.0 |
| Packagist | phpoffice/phpspreadsheet | before 1.30.4 | 1.30.4 |
Same product
phpoffice: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2018-19277securityScan() in PHPOffice PhpSpreadsheet through 1.5.0 allows a bypass of protection mechanisms for XXE via UTF-7 encoding in a .xlsx file37Monitor
- CVE-2026-45034PhpSpreadsheet: File::prohibitWrappers bypass36Monitor
- CVE-2026-34084PhpSpreadsheet SSRF and RCE via PHP stream wrappers in IOFactory::load36Monitor
- CVE-2024-45291Path traversal and Server-Side Request Forgery in HTML writer when embedding images is enabled in PHPSpreadsheet35Monitor
- CVE-2019-12331PHPOffice PhpSpreadsheet before 1.8.0 has an XXE issue.35Monitor
- CVE-2025-54370PhpSpreadsheet vulnerable to SSRF when reading and displaying a processed HTML document in the browser34Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| PHPOffice PhpSpreadsheet | 1.30.4 · description | Vendor (CNA) |
| Packagist:phpoffice/phpspreadsheet | 1.30.4 | Package registry (OSV) |
| Packagist:phpoffice/phpspreadsheet | 2.1.16 | Package registry (OSV) |
| Packagist:phpoffice/phpspreadsheet | 2.4.5 | Package registry (OSV) |
| Packagist:phpoffice/phpspreadsheet | 3.10.5 | Package registry (OSV) |
| Packagist:phpoffice/phpspreadsheet | 5.7.0 | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
- CVE-2026-408630 days apartPhpSpreadsheet: CPU Denial of Service via Unbounded Row Index in SpreadsheetML XML Reader30Monitor
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- No account or password is required.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- none
- Integrity
- none
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- None
- Integrity impact
- None
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-770 · Allocation of Resources Without Limits or ThrottlingCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
nvd-secondary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- FloodingCAPEC-125likelihood: High · Medium
- Excessive AllocationCAPEC-130likelihood: Medium · Medium
- XML Ping of the DeathCAPEC-147likelihood: Low · Medium
- Exponential Data ExpansionCAPEC-197likelihood: High · Medium
- Serialized Data Parameter BlowupCAPEC-229likelihood: High · High
- Serialized Data with Nested PayloadsCAPEC-230likelihood: Medium · High
- Oversized Serialized Data PayloadsCAPEC-231likelihood: Medium · High
- HTTP DoSCAPEC-469Low
ATT&CK techniques
- Network Denial of Service:Direct Network FloodT1498.001
- Network Denial of Service:Reflection AmplificationT1498.002
- Endpoint Denial of ServiceT1499
- Endpoint Denial of Service: OS Exhaustion FloodT1499.001
- Endpoint Denial of Service:Service Exhaustion FloodT1499.002
- Endpoint Denial of Service:Application Exhaustion FloodT1499.003
Change log
- Fix✗ → ✓
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