{"id":"CVE-2024-45293","aliases":["EUVD-2024-2967","GHSA-6hwr-6v2f-3m88"],"status":"published","title":"XML External Entity Reference (XXE) in PHPSpreadsheet's XLSX reader","description":"PHPSpreadsheet is a pure PHP library for reading and writing spreadsheet files. The security scanner responsible for preventing XXE attacks in the XLSX reader can be bypassed by slightly modifying the XML structure, utilizing white-spaces. On servers that allow users to upload their own Excel (XLSX) sheets, Server files and sensitive information can be disclosed by providing a crafted sheet. The security scan function in src/PhpSpreadsheet/Reader/Security/XmlScanner.php contains a flawed XML encoding check to retrieve the input file's XML encoding in the toUtf8 function. The function searches for the XML encoding through a defined regex which looks for `encoding=\"*\"` and/or `encoding='*'`, if not found, it defaults to the UTF-8 encoding which bypasses the conversion logic. This logic can be used to pass a UTF-7 encoded XXE payload, by utilizing a whitespace before or after the = in the attribute definition. Sensitive information disclosure through the XXE on sites that allow users to upload their own excel spreadsheets, and parse them using PHPSpreadsheet's Excel parser. This issue has been addressed in release versions 1.29.1, 2.1.1, and 2.3.0. All users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.","severity":{"version":"3.1","score":7.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N","level":"high","assessor":"cna","from":"cve"},"epss":{"day":"2026-11-10","score":0.02776,"percentile":0.86478,"model":"v2026.06.15"},"facts":{"in_kev":false,"known_exploited":false,"public_exploit":false,"fix_available":true},"cwes":["CWE-611"],"published":"2024-10-07T15:58:52Z","modified":"2026-10-28T02:31:14Z","exploits":[{"source":"nuclei","id":"CVE-2024-45293","title":"TablePress \u003c 2.4.3 - XXE Injection","type":"detection template","url":"https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2024/CVE-2024-45293.yaml"}],"fixes":[{"ecosystem":"Packagist","package":"phpoffice/phpspreadsheet","fixed_in":["2.3.0","1.29.1","2.1.1"],"sources":["ghsa","osv"]}],"affected":[{"source":"ghsa","ecosystem":"Packagist","package":"phpoffice/phpspreadsheet","ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"2.2.0"},{"fixed":"2.3.0"}]}]},{"source":"ghsa","ecosystem":"Packagist","package":"phpoffice/phpspreadsheet","ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"},{"fixed":"1.29.1"}]}]},{"source":"ghsa","ecosystem":"Packagist","package":"phpoffice/phpspreadsheet","ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"2.0.0"},{"fixed":"2.1.1"}]}]},{"source":"ghsa","ecosystem":"Packagist","package":"phpoffice/phpexcel","ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"},{"last_affected":"1.8.2"}]}]},{"source":"osv","ecosystem":"Packagist","package":"phpoffice/phpspreadsheet","ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"2.2.0"},{"fixed":"2.3.0"}]}],"versions":["2.2.0","2.2.1","2.2.2"]},{"source":"osv","ecosystem":"Packagist","package":"phpoffice/phpspreadsheet","ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"},{"fixed":"1.29.1"}]}],"versions":["1.0.0","1.0.0-beta","1.0.0-beta2","1.1.0","1.10.0","1.10.1","1.11.0","1.12.0","1.13.0","1.14.0","1.14.1","1.15.0","1.16.0","1.17.0","1.17.1","1.18.0","1.19.0","1.2.0","1.2.1","1.20.0","1.21.0","1.22.0","1.23.0","1.24.0","1.24.1","1.25.0","1.25.1","1.25.2","1.26.0","1.27.0","1.27.1","1.28.0","1.29.0","1.3.0","1.3.1","1.4.0","1.4.1","1.5.0","1.5.1","1.5.2","1.6.0","1.7.0","1.8.0","1.8.1","1.8.2","1.9.0"]},{"source":"osv","ecosystem":"Packagist","package":"phpoffice/phpspreadsheet","ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"2.0.0"},{"fixed":"2.1.1"}]}],"versions":["2.0.0","2.1.0"]},{"source":"osv","ecosystem":"Packagist","package":"phpoffice/phpexcel","ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"},{"last_affected":"1.8.2"}]}],"versions":["1.7.9","1.7.9-rc1","1.8.0","1.8.0rc1","1.8.0rc2","1.8.0rc3","1.8.0rc4","1.8.1","1.8.2"]}],"products":[{"vendor":"phpoffice","product":"phpspreadsheet"}],"references":[{"url":"https://github.com/PHPOffice/PhpSpreadsheet/security/advisories/GHSA-6hwr-6v2f-3m88","tags":["x_refsource_CONFIRM","Exploit","Vendor Advisory","advisory","web"]},{"url":"https://github.com/PHPOffice/PhpSpreadsheet/commit/3bcd51826b7f089d1641e756c83030c30c3bdb0c","tags":["web"]},{"url":"https://github.com/PHPOffice/PhpSpreadsheet/commit/7d6cb09f6e8204f65e6dd5a0490f7f45f44bb331","tags":["web"]},{"url":"https://github.com/PHPOffice/PhpSpreadsheet/commit/949ff63e1f6413e6485f73af012d506aa81384bf","tags":["web"]},{"url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-45293","tags":["advisory"]},{"url":"https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-6hwr-6v2f-3m88"},{"url":"https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2024/45xxx/CVE-2024-45293.json","tags":["advisory"]},{"url":"https://github.com/PHPOffice/PhpSpreadsheet","tags":["package"]}],"sources":{"cve":[{"id":"CVE-2024-45293","title":"XML External Entity Reference (XXE) in PHPSpreadsheet's XLSX reader","description":"PHPSpreadsheet is a pure PHP library for reading and writing spreadsheet files. The security scanner responsible for preventing XXE attacks in the XLSX reader can be bypassed by slightly modifying the XML structure, utilizing white-spaces. On servers that allow users to upload their own Excel (XLSX) sheets, Server files and sensitive information can be disclosed by providing a crafted sheet. The security scan function in src/PhpSpreadsheet/Reader/Security/XmlScanner.php contains a flawed XML encoding check to retrieve the input file's XML encoding in the toUtf8 function. The function searches for the XML encoding through a defined regex which looks for `encoding=\"*\"` and/or `encoding='*'`, if not found, it defaults to the UTF-8 encoding which bypasses the conversion logic. This logic can be used to pass a UTF-7 encoded XXE payload, by utilizing a whitespace before or after the = in the attribute definition. Sensitive information disclosure through the XXE on sites that allow users to upload their own excel spreadsheets, and parse them using PHPSpreadsheet's Excel parser. This issue has been addressed in release versions 1.29.1, 2.1.1, and 2.3.0. All users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.","status":"published","published":"2024-10-07T20:03:27.08Z","modified":"2024-10-07T20:25:10.635Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":7.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N","level":"high","assessor":"cna"}],"cwes":["CWE-611"],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T14:34:07.831255Z"}],"euvd":[{"id":"EUVD-2024-2967","description":"PHPSpreadsheet is a pure PHP library for reading and writing spreadsheet files. The security scanner responsible for preventing XXE attacks in the XLSX reader can be bypassed by slightly modifying the XML structure, utilizing white-spaces. On servers that allow users to upload their own Excel (XLSX) sheets, Server files and sensitive information can be disclosed by providing a crafted sheet. The security scan function in src/PhpSpreadsheet/Reader/Security/XmlScanner.php contains a flawed XML encoding check to retrieve the input file's XML encoding in the toUtf8 function. The function searches for the XML encoding through a defined regex which looks for `encoding=\"*\"` and/or `encoding='*'`, if not found, it defaults to the UTF-8 encoding which bypasses the conversion logic. This logic can be used to pass a UTF-7 encoded XXE payload, by utilizing a whitespace before or after the = in the attribute definition. Sensitive information disclosure through the XXE on sites that allow users to upload their own excel spreadsheets, and parse them using PHPSpreadsheet's Excel parser. This issue has been addressed in release versions 1.29.1, 2.1.1, and 2.3.0. All users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.","status":"published","published":"2024-10-07T20:03:27Z","modified":"2024-10-07T20:25:10Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":7.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N","level":"high"}],"updated_at":"2026-11-03T00:27:46.330731Z"}],"ghsa":[{"id":"GHSA-6hwr-6v2f-3m88","title":"XXE in PHPSpreadsheet's XLSX reader","description":"### Summary\nThe security scanner responsible for preventing XXE attacks in the XLSX reader can be bypassed by slightly modifying the XML structure, utilizing white-spaces. On servers that allow users to upload their own Excel (XLSX) sheets, Server files and sensitive information can be disclosed by providing a crafted sheet. \n\n### Details\nThe security scan function in `src/PhpSpreadsheet/Reader/Security/XmlScanner.php` contains a flawed XML encoding check to retrieve the input file's XML encoding in the `toUtf8` function. \n\nThe function searches for the XML encoding through a defined regex which looks for `encoding=\"*\"` and/or `encoding='*'`, if not found, it defaults to the UTF-8 encoding which bypasses the conversion logic. \n\n ```\n$patterns = [\n            '/encoding=\"([^\"]*]?)\"/',\n            \"/encoding='([^']*?)'/\",\n];\n```\n\nThis logic can be used to pass a UTF-7 encoded XXE payload, by utilizing a whitespace before or after the `=` in the attribute definition. \n\n### PoC\n\nNeeded:\n- An Excel sheet (XLSX) with at least one cell containing a value.\n\nUnzip the excel sheet, and modify the `xl/SharedStrings.xml` file with the following value (note the space after `encoding=`):\n\n```\n\u003c?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding= 'UTF-7' standalone=\"yes\"?\u003e\n+ADw-!DOCTYPE abc [ ... ]\u003e\n```\n\n#### Step-by-step\n\n1. First off, the following string is encoded in base64:\n\n```\n\u003c!ENTITY internal 'abc'  \u003e\" \n```\n\nResulting in:\n\n```\nPCFFTlRJVFkgaW50ZXJuYWwgJ2FiYycgID4K\n```\n\n2. The string is used with a parameter entity and the PHP filter wrapper to ultimately define custom entities and call them within the XML.\n\n```\n\u003c?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding= 'UTF-7' standalone=\"yes\"?\u003e\n+ADw-!DOCTYPE foo [ \u003c!ENTITY % xxe SYSTEM \"php://filter//resource=data://text/plain;base64,PCFFTlRJVFkgaW50ZXJuYWwgJ2FiYycgID4K\" \u003e %xxe;]\u003e\n\u003csst xmlns=\"http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/spreadsheetml/2006/main\" count=\"1\" uniqueCount=\"1\"\u003e\u003csi\u003e\u003ct\u003e\u0026internal;\u003c/t\u003e\u003c/si\u003e\u003c/sst\u003e\n```\n\nWhen this file is parsed by the library, the value `abc` should be in the original filled cell.\n\nWith the help of the PHP filter wrapper, this can be escalated to information disclosure/file read. \n\n### Impact\nSensitive information disclosure through the XXE on sites that allow users to upload their own excel spreadsheets, and parse them using PHPSpreadsheet's Excel parser.","status":"published","published":"2024-10-07T15:58:52Z","modified":"2025-03-06T18:14:42Z","cvss":[{"version":"4.0","score":8.7,"vector":"CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N","level":"high"},{"version":"3.1","score":7.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N","level":"high"}],"cwes":["CWE-611"],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T14:38:34.185137Z"}],"nvd":[{"id":"CVE-2024-45293","description":"PHPSpreadsheet is a pure PHP library for reading and writing spreadsheet files. The security scanner responsible for preventing XXE attacks in the XLSX reader can be bypassed by slightly modifying the XML structure, utilizing white-spaces. On servers that allow users to upload their own Excel (XLSX) sheets, Server files and sensitive information can be disclosed by providing a crafted sheet. The security scan function in src/PhpSpreadsheet/Reader/Security/XmlScanner.php contains a flawed XML encoding check to retrieve the input file's XML encoding in the toUtf8 function. The function searches for the XML encoding through a defined regex which looks for `encoding=\"*\"` and/or `encoding='*'`, if not found, it defaults to the UTF-8 encoding which bypasses the conversion logic. This logic can be used to pass a UTF-7 encoded XXE payload, by utilizing a whitespace before or after the = in the attribute definition. Sensitive information disclosure through the XXE on sites that allow users to upload their own excel spreadsheets, and parse them using PHPSpreadsheet's Excel parser. This issue has been addressed in release versions 1.29.1, 2.1.1, and 2.3.0. All users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.","status":"published","published":"2024-10-07T20:15:06.1Z","modified":"2026-06-17T07:53:58.013Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":7.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N","level":"high","assessor":"secondary"},{"version":"3.1","score":7.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N","level":"high","assessor":"primary"}],"cwes":["CWE-611"],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T14:10:31.271525Z"}],"osv":[{"id":"CVE-2024-45293","title":"XML External Entity Reference (XXE) in PHPSpreadsheet's XLSX reader","description":"PHPSpreadsheet is a pure PHP library for reading and writing spreadsheet files. The security scanner responsible for preventing XXE attacks in the XLSX reader can be bypassed by slightly modifying the XML structure, utilizing white-spaces. On servers that allow users to upload their own Excel (XLSX) sheets, Server files and sensitive information can be disclosed by providing a crafted sheet. The security scan function in src/PhpSpreadsheet/Reader/Security/XmlScanner.php contains a flawed XML encoding check to retrieve the input file's XML encoding in the toUtf8 function. The function searches for the XML encoding through a defined regex which looks for `encoding=\"*\"` and/or `encoding='*'`, if not found, it defaults to the UTF-8 encoding which bypasses the conversion logic. This logic can be used to pass a UTF-7 encoded XXE payload, by utilizing a whitespace before or after the = in the attribute definition. Sensitive information disclosure through the XXE on sites that allow users to upload their own excel spreadsheets, and parse them using PHPSpreadsheet's Excel parser. This issue has been addressed in release versions 1.29.1, 2.1.1, and 2.3.0. All users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.","status":"published","published":"2024-10-07T20:03:27.08Z","modified":"2026-10-28T02:31:14.100904106Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":7.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N","level":"high"}],"cwes":["CWE-611"],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T15:44:42.790566Z"},{"id":"GHSA-6hwr-6v2f-3m88","title":"XXE in PHPSpreadsheet's XLSX reader","description":"### Summary\nThe security scanner responsible for preventing XXE attacks in the XLSX reader can be bypassed by slightly modifying the XML structure, utilizing white-spaces. On servers that allow users to upload their own Excel (XLSX) sheets, Server files and sensitive information can be disclosed by providing a crafted sheet. \n\n### Details\nThe security scan function in `src/PhpSpreadsheet/Reader/Security/XmlScanner.php` contains a flawed XML encoding check to retrieve the input file's XML encoding in the `toUtf8` function. \n\nThe function searches for the XML encoding through a defined regex which looks for `encoding=\"*\"` and/or `encoding='*'`, if not found, it defaults to the UTF-8 encoding which bypasses the conversion logic. \n\n ```\n$patterns = [\n            '/encoding=\"([^\"]*]?)\"/',\n            \"/encoding='([^']*?)'/\",\n];\n```\n\nThis logic can be used to pass a UTF-7 encoded XXE payload, by utilizing a whitespace before or after the `=` in the attribute definition. \n\n### PoC\n\nNeeded:\n- An Excel sheet (XLSX) with at least one cell containing a value.\n\nUnzip the excel sheet, and modify the `xl/SharedStrings.xml` file with the following value (note the space after `encoding=`):\n\n```\n\u003c?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding= 'UTF-7' standalone=\"yes\"?\u003e\n+ADw-!DOCTYPE abc [ ... ]\u003e\n```\n\n#### Step-by-step\n\n1. First off, the following string is encoded in base64:\n\n```\n\u003c!ENTITY internal 'abc'  \u003e\" \n```\n\nResulting in:\n\n```\nPCFFTlRJVFkgaW50ZXJuYWwgJ2FiYycgID4K\n```\n\n2. The string is used with a parameter entity and the PHP filter wrapper to ultimately define custom entities and call them within the XML.\n\n```\n\u003c?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding= 'UTF-7' standalone=\"yes\"?\u003e\n+ADw-!DOCTYPE foo [ \u003c!ENTITY % xxe SYSTEM \"php://filter//resource=data://text/plain;base64,PCFFTlRJVFkgaW50ZXJuYWwgJ2FiYycgID4K\" \u003e %xxe;]\u003e\n\u003csst xmlns=\"http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/spreadsheetml/2006/main\" count=\"1\" uniqueCount=\"1\"\u003e\u003csi\u003e\u003ct\u003e\u0026internal;\u003c/t\u003e\u003c/si\u003e\u003c/sst\u003e\n```\n\nWhen this file is parsed by the library, the value `abc` should be in the original filled cell.\n\nWith the help of the PHP filter wrapper, this can be escalated to information disclosure/file read. \n\n### Impact\nSensitive information disclosure through the XXE on sites that allow users to upload their own excel spreadsheets, and parse them using PHPSpreadsheet's Excel parser.","status":"published","published":"2024-10-07T15:58:52Z","modified":"2025-03-06T18:36:55.798253Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":7.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N","level":"high"},{"version":"4.0","score":8.7,"vector":"CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N","level":"high"}],"cwes":["CWE-611"],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T15:46:39.618611Z"}]}}