CVE-2024-45060 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.1) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in phpoffice/phpspreadsheet. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for phpoffice/phpspreadsheet — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Unauthenticated Cross-Site-Scripting (XSS) in sample file in PHPSpreadsheet
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2024-45060.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2024-45060 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 378,156 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
phpoffice/phpspreadsheet🐘phpoffice/phpspreadsheet🐘phpoffice/phpspreadsheet🐘phpoffice/phpexcelReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Packagist packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Summary
One of the sample scripts in PhpSpreadsheet is susceptible to a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability due to improper handling of input where a number is expected leading to formula injection.
Details
The following code in 45_Quadratic_equation_solver.php concatenates the user supplied parameters directly into spreadsheet formulas. This allows an attacker to take control over the formula and output unsanitized data into the page, resulting in JavaScript execution.
$discriminantFormula = '=POWER(' . $_POST['B'] . ',2) - (4 * ' . $_POST['A'] . ' * ' . $_POST['C'] . ')';
$discriminant = Calculation::getInstance()->calculateFormula($discriminantFormula);
$r1Formula = '=IMDIV(IMSUM(-' . $_POST['B'] . ',IMSQRT(' . $discriminant . ')),2 * ' . $_POST['A'] . ')';
$r2Formula = '=IF(' . $discriminant . '=0,"Only one root",IMDIV(IMSUB(-' . $_POST['B'] . ',IMSQRT(' . $discriminant . ')),2 * ' . $_POST['A'] . '))';
PoC
- Access
45_Quadratic_equation_solver.phpin a browser - Enter any valid values for for
bandc, and enter the following fora
1) & ("1)),1)&char(60)&char(105)&char(109)&char(103)&char(32)&char(115)&char(114)&char(99)&char(61)&char(120)&char(32)&char(111)&char(110)&char(101)&char(114)&char(114)&char(111)&char(114)&char(61)&char(97)&char(108)&char(101)&char(114)&char(116)&char(40)&char(41)&char(62)&POWER(((1") &n("1")&(1
- Press submit and observe that JavaScript is executed.
Impact
The impact of this vulnerability on the project is expected to be relatively low since these are sample files that should not be included when the library is used properly (e.g., through composer). However, at least two instances of popular WordPress plugins have unintentionally exposed this file by including the entire git repository. Since these files also serve as reference points for developers using the library, addressing this issue can enhance security for users.
A solution to fix the vulnerability is proposed below, and a request for a CVE assignment has been made to facilitate responsible disclosure of the security issue to the affected WordPress plugins.
Remediation
A quick and easy solution to prevent this attack is to force the parameters to be numerical values:
if (isset($_POST['submit'])) {
$_POST['A'] = floatval($_POST['A']);
$_POST['B'] = floatval($_POST['B']);
$_POST['C'] = floatval($_POST['C']);
if ($_POST['A'] == 0) {
Thank you for your time!
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | phpoffice/phpspreadsheet | ≥ 2.2.0&&< 2.3.0 | 2.3.0composer require phpoffice/phpspreadsheet:^2.3.0 |
| 🐘Packagist | phpoffice/phpspreadsheet | all versions | 1.29.2composer require phpoffice/phpspreadsheet:^1.29.2 |
| 🐘Packagist | phpoffice/phpspreadsheet | ≥ 2.0.0&&< 2.1.1 | 2.1.1composer require phpoffice/phpspreadsheet:^2.1.1 |
| 🐘Packagist | phpoffice/phpexcel | all versions | No fix |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for phpoffice/phpspreadsheet, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update phpoffice/phpspreadsheet to 2.3.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2024-45060 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2024-45060 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2024-45060. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2024-45060 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2024-45060 across Packagist dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.