Overview
CVE-2025-54904 is a significant cybersecurity vulnerability detected in Microsoft Office Excel software. This vulnerability presents a serious risk to users worldwide as it allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code locally, potentially leading to system compromise or data leakage. The risk is particularly severe due to the widespread use of Microsoft Office Excel across diverse sectors, including businesses, education, and government.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-54904
Severity: High (7.8 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: System compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Microsoft Office Excel | All versions prior to the security patch
How the Exploit Works
The exploit takes advantage of a ‘use after free’ vulnerability in Microsoft Office Excel. This involves the attacker crafting a specially designed Excel file that, when opened by the victim, manipulates the memory allocation within the application. The attacker can then execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user. If the user possesses administrative rights, the attacker could potentially gain control over the affected system.
Conceptual Example Code
The following pseudocode demonstrates a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. Note that this is a simplified representation and actual exploitation would require a more sophisticated understanding of Excel’s memory management and the target system’s architecture.
create malicious_excel_file
open malicious_excel_file in Microsoft Office Excel
// The following is the malicious payload
free(memory_block)
write_to_memory_block(arbitrary_code)
execute(memory_block)
close malicious_excel_fileThis pseudocode demonstrates the high-level process of exploiting the use-after-free vulnerability. The attacker creates a malicious Excel file that, when opened, frees a block of memory. It then writes arbitrary code to the same memory block and executes that code.
